


Smol Adventures

by CocoaChoux



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU Crossover, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Child Eren Yeager, Child Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Childhood Sweethearts, Hints of reincarnation, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-05-09 09:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5534114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CocoaChoux/pseuds/CocoaChoux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How do you get a boyfriend on the first day of kindergarten? </p><p>Easy, be afraid of the dark and wait for your knight in shiny, light-up shoes and you go from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eyes Brighter Than Shoes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SadisticSiren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadisticSiren/gifts).



> This all started out as a [prompt](http://thesadisticsiren.tumblr.com/post/130646642741/mhiilk-its-dark-im-scared-dont-worry-bae-i) that thesadisticsiren reblogged and I couldn't help myself. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> The first three chapters are ones that I've posted on Tumblr but now moved onto AO3. Each chapter is just a series of one-shot events that happen in real time (Eren and Levi's birthdays, Halloween, Christmas, etc), so it's a holiday collection plus random events here and there. :)
> 
> (Note that this fic is beta'd by [someonesotherhalf](http://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesotherhalf) and I'm slowly editing all the chapters xP)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was posted on October 8, 2015 on my Tumblr.
> 
> ♥ I also got this lovely [commission piece](http://cocoachoux.tumblr.com/post/137383659784/incoherent-screeching-i-just-got-my-commission) done of Eren saving Levi by the talented picklestpickle!

The sound of children laughing was coming from inside the kindergarten classroom.

Outside the mayhem, a mother was holding a nervous little boy in her arms. The boy was clutching onto his mother’s sleeve and was taking deep breaths as he looked at the classroom entryway.

Kuchel gave an encouraging smile to the little boy in her arms. “All right Levi, are you ready for your first day?”

The little boy looked at his mom with his grey eyes and nodded. “Yes, Maman.”

“That’s my Levi,” she praised before entering the classroom.

The sound was much louder inside as the laughter was accompanied by screaming and loud footsteps. Levi scrunched up his nose from all the noise as a woman with auburn hair approached them.

“Hello there! Are you Ms. Ackerman and Levi by chance?” the woman asked in a cheery voice.

Kuchel nodded as she stooped down to place (a reluctant) Levi down. “Yes, I’m here to drop off Levi for his first day.”

The woman gave the two a large smile. “That’s wonderful!” Crouching down, she waved to the timid boy. “Hello Levi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ms. Petra Ral, your teacher.”

Levi gave her a polite nod in acknowledgment. “I-it’s nice to meet you, Ms. Ral.”

Petra grinned as she got up. “What great manners! Are you ready to meet your classmates?”

The little boy turned back to look at his mother who was giving him another encouraging smile. Taking a few deep breaths, he looked at his new teacher and nodded.

“Excellent! Your son is in good hands, Ms. Ackerman.”

Kuchel nodded as she crouched down to Levi’s eye-level. “Okay, Levi. I’ll be going now. You’ll be brave for me won’t you?” She smiled when she received a nod in reply. “Wonderful. I’ll be back to pick you up in a few hours. If you need any help, cousin Mikasa will be here as well, okay?”

Levi nodded again but moved so he could give his mother a hug. “Bye, Maman. Promise me that you’ll come back?”

“I promise, mon petit chou. Now, off you go. I want to hear your adventures today during dinner. I’ll be making your favorite tonight.”

Beaming at the promise of his favorite meal, he enthusiastically waved goodbye to his mother. Nervously, he followed Petra to the cubbies so he could put away his little backpack and sweater.

“Ready?” the teacher asked him.

Nodding, he followed her out to a rug area that had shelves of books around it. Standing at the corner, Petra let out a loud whistle that surprised Levi, but it effectively stopped all the noise. “Class! Please gather around!”

Levi was tempted to hide behind Ms. Ral once he saw the herd of kids running towards them. The children looked at him with curiosity as they quietly sat down in front of them.

Petra clapped her hands twice to get their attention. “Okay, class. Today we have a new classmate joining us. This is Levi and he just recently moved here. I want you all to show him around and be courteous – remember that was the word of the day yesterday – am I clear?”

“Yes, Ms. Ral!” they said in unison.

“Good! Are there any questions for Levi here?” Petra nodded to one of the kids. “Yes, Jean?”

“What do you like to do?” the two-toned hair boy asked.

Levi shrugged. “Cleaning.”

Jean scrunched his nose at the answer. “Ew, cleaning is so bori- hey! Eren!” the boy accusingly looked at the boy behind him who was placing down the foot he kicked Jean with.

“No one wants to hear you, pony boy!”

“Why you-” Jean didn’t even finish his sentence as he lunged at the boy. The rest of the class scuffled away, knowing very well what their fights were like.

“Jean! Eren! That’s enough of you two!” Petra marched over to them and grabbed each of them by their ear. “That’s the third time today. You know what that means don’t you?”

Both boys nodded but didn’t look at her. “Yes, Ms. Ral…”

Petra sighed. “Boys, I’ll have to call up your parents for this. You know the consequences by now. Jean, you go over to that end of the classroom, and Eren, you go over there. I’ll speak to both of you soon. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Ms. Ral…” they answered in a dejected voice.

Petra let go of them and watched the two walk towards their designated corner. Turning her attention back to the class, she smiled. “Now then, who’s ready to paint?”

* * *

School wasn’t as bad as Levi initially thought it would be. Sure, painting was really messy, especially with the other kids wanting to touch him with their multi-colored hands, but it felt nice to wash away all the colors and watch it go down the drain. Mikasa greeted him earlier and showed him around the classroom and the playground area for their class that was fenced off from the ‘older kids’ playground. There were really good toys to play with in class too and he was starting to enjoy himself.

He was in the middle of coloring in a drawing of a cat when juice splashed all over him.

“I’m so sorry!” a girl – Sasha, if Levi remembered properly – apologized.

Levi bit his lips from saying something mean, knowing that it wouldn’t do any good if he did. Besides, it looked like as if she wanted to cry. Crying over Levi’s scary face or her spilled juice, Levi wasn’t sure and didn’t care. Shaking his head at her, he stood up and proceeded to go to the bathroom area he remembered Mikasa showing him.

Seeing that it was occupied, Levi frowned. He tapped his foot impatiently, wondering what was taking the other person so long (in reality, it was only about 30 seconds). Letting out a sigh, he looked down at the white shirt he was wearing. Well, it _was_ white. Now it had a big red stain on it. Levi let out a groan before he remembered something.

There was a bathroom near the school entrance when he came in with his maman. It probably had a bigger sink, too.

With a determined nod, Levi left the classroom and walked down the hallway in search of the bathroom.

Except, he didn’t recognize that door from before.

Hm. Levi continued to walk down the hallway and turned the corner to walk through another hallway of unfamiliar doors. He doesn’t remember that one.

Or that one.

Or that one.

Levi stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked around frantically, wondering where he was.

He was lost.

He bit his lip as he tried to not cry. Taking a few more deep breaths, he calmed himself down and turned back to retrace his steps, but the loud shrill of a bell made Levi jump in surprise.

The boy panicked when he saw some older kids down the hallway leaving their classrooms. In hopes of not getting caught, he went inside a dark room and closed the door behind him.

Levi pressed his ear against the door, hearing muffled footsteps and chatter. Once the noise stopped, he took a step back and reached for the door handle to turn it and-

Locked.

Levi wiggled the door handle a few times and pushed his body against the door.

It didn’t budge.

Levi started to panic again. He felt his heart beat faster and his breath getting shorter and shorter. Crouching down, he put his hand over his ears as he felt darkness consume him. A few tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to stifle his cries, trying to be quiet in the dark room.

He yelped in surprise when he saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye.

“Hello?” a voice called.

The voice sounded childish, so it was definitely not an adult. Maybe it was another kid stuck like him?

Levi turned his head to see where the voice was coming from. He saw a dark figure approaching him, but the flashes of red and yellow from the ground were partially lighting the mysterious person. Wait a minute, he looked familiar.

“Who are you?” Levi asked the mysterious person approaching him.

The colorful lights stopped just in front of Levi. In the darkness, Levi’s eyes were able to adjust and he was able to see the silhouette of the person.

“I’m Eren! Who are you?” the voice answered cheerfully.

“L-Levi.”

Even though Levi couldn’t clearly see him, he could _hear_ the smile from the other boy. “Oh! You’re Mikki’s cousin, yeah?”

“Mikki?”

“Mikasa, silly!”

Levi nodded. He didn’t like being called silly, but he desperately wanted to get out and maybe Eren could help him. “Why are you here?”

“To run around of course! How about you?”

“Hiding, but I got locked in,” Levi sniffled. He didn’t normally cry in front of other people, but it was dark and he was still scared.

Eren probably noticed the hitch in his voice because he leaned forward. “Are you crying?”

“No, shut up.”

“That’s not nice!” Eren frowned but he could feel that the boy in front of him was distressed. “Are you… scared of the dark?”

Eren received another sniffle as a reply but he smiled instead. “I know!”

Eren lifted his foot and stomped on the ground. Flashes of red and yellow lighted the floor around them momentarily before it went dark again. “C’mon. I know a way out.” Stomping his foot again, he saw the other’s hand and grabbed it. “This way!”

Levi didn’t even get the chance to protest before he was dragged off to somewhere. He blinked back his tears as he looked down to focus on the light instead of the dark. “I like your shoes.”

“Thanks! My mom got them for me!”

“Where are we going?”

Levi felt the hand tighten around his slightly. “Secret! You can’t tell this to anyone, okay?”

Levi nodded. “Okay, Eren.”

Eren smiled and Levi saw a glimpse of it from the little light the shoes created.

They walked around, taking a few turns here and there until the duo reached another door. Eren reached for the doorknob and jiggled it a few times until it opened.

A beam of artificial light flashed through Levi’s eyes as he closed them. Letting go of Eren’s hand, he rubbed his eyes until they adjusted to the lighting. He then heard a gasp in front of him.

“Levi! You’re bleeding!”

Blinking a few times, he looked down to the stain that started the whole adventure. He shook his head. “No. I got juice on myself and- your eyes are pretty.” Having been in the dark for a long time, Levi never noticed how bright and green the other’s eyes were.

Realizing what he said, he blushed and looked away from the smiling boy.

Eren smiled. “Thank you! I think you’re pretty too!”

Levi blushed even harder from the compliment. Not knowing what else to say, he nodded. “Er, thanks.” He wiped his cheeks of any tear residue and tried not to grimace. He needed to go to the bathroom. Soon.

Eren reached for the boy’s hands and pulled them down. “You don’t do it like that, silly. Close your eyes.”

Levi gave him an odd look – he called him silly again! – but did so anyway. He felt a slight pressure on one eyelid and the same pressure on the other. Opening his eyes, he looked at the boy in front of him. “What did you do?”

Eren smiled again. “I kissed them so you won’t cry anymore. Mom does it to me all the time.”

Levi’s flush turned as red as Eren’s light up shoes. “Stupid! You only kiss people you like.”

The bright-eyed boy’s smile turned into a frown. “But I do like you. Don’t you like me too?”

Levi was sure that he was steaming now. Not liking the boy’s frown, he clenched his eyes and leaned over to kiss Eren’s cheek. “I-I do…”

He felt his heart flutter when he saw the boy’s large grin.

Holding Levi’s hand, Eren directed him to the classroom just as the bell rang again.

* * *

“So, mon petit chou, what happened to your shirt?” Kuchel asked. She filled up her brother’s glass with more water, glaring at him when he pointed out that he wanted some alcohol.

Levi swallowed his food and drank some water before answering. “Sasha, the girl I told you about, you know, the one who could eat two baked potatoes in five minutes? She spilled juice on me and I went to the bathroom to clean it but it was locked. So I left the classroom to find another bathroom.”

“Oh?” Kenny asked with interest. His nephew normally stuck with the group unless given permission. Then again, he got dirty so he probably got impatient, Kenny reasoned.

The little boy swung his feet back and forth. “Uh-huh. And then I got lost and locked myself in a dark room, but there was another kid, Eren, there. He had these shoes that light up and he found a way out and then he kissed me and I kissed him back.”

Kuchel almost choked on her food while Kenny roared with laughter.

“Atta boy! You got yourself a boyfriend on the first day!” Kenny snickered.

Levi blushed. “Shut up, Uncle Kenny. He saved me so I had to thank him. And he’s really cute and makes my heart feel weird when he smiles and has really cool shoes.”

Kenny was still chuckling when Kuchel shook her head and let out a sigh. There was probably a lot more to the story than what he was telling them, but as long as he was safe, it didn’t matter in the end.

Even if he did manage to get a (possible?) boyfriend on his first day.

Kuchel just smiled as she looked at her son. “Levi, I’m not opposed, but introduce him to me next time, okay?”

Levi smiled at her as he continued eating. “Yes, Maman.”


	2. Trick or Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smol ones celebrate their first Halloween together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was posted on October 31, 2015 on my Tumblr.
> 
> Special shoutout to sagedynasty on Tumblr for the idea! :D
> 
> ♥ And magickitt is amazing and precious because she drew [their costumes](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/132293291693/from-cocoachouxs-wonderfully-sweet-fic-trick-of) too!  
> ♥ **Update:** magic decides to be an overachiever and [redrew](http://magickitt.tumblr.com/post/148012024148/redrew-this-from-chouxcocoas-fic-trick-or-sweet) their costumes. xD

“Lee, what are you dressing up as for Halloween?”

Levi looked up from his coloring book to see Eren’s toothy grin (minus one of his bottom teeth that he lost last week). Seeing as the brunet was waiting for an answer, he shrugged. “I don’t know, Eren.”

Eren gasped as he looked at Levi in horror. “That’s no good, Levi! Halloween is in a few days!”

The pale boy shrugged again. “It’s okay. I don’t eat a lot of candy.” Which was true since his maman doesn’t really indulge him with lots of sweets. (Also, he takes pride leaving the dentist with fresh, clean teeth with no cavities compared to most of the kids crying in the waiting room.)

Eren sat down right next to Levi and gave him a hug. “But you’re so nice, Levi. You should get lots of candy!”

Levi flushed as he returned the hug, albeit awkwardly as they weren’t really facing each other properly.

It has been about a month since Eren saved him from the dark, a month since their kiss, and a month since they became boyfriends (much to their parents’ amusement). Being Eren’s boyfriend wasn’t much different from being Eren’s friend. Levi played with him during recess and sometimes even went to Eren's house after school (Mrs. Yeager made the best chocolate chip cookies). The difference between being Eren’s friend and being Eren’s boyfriend was that Levi was freely able to touch Eren.

Eren, as Levi quickly found out, was very touchy-feely and likes physical contact. Levi doesn’t mind it too much as long as Eren washed his hands from playing in the sandbox. He enjoyed it whenever Eren touched his face or played with his hair. His heart fluttered at every little touch and Levi enjoyed the feeling in his chest.

Still hugging Eren, Levi combed his fingers through the brunet’s hair. “Tsk. Eren, your hair is messy again.” Despite the complaint, Levi slowly, but methodically untangled any knots and smoothed it down. Eren didn’t reply to the comment but hummed instead. Pulling away, Levi looked into Eren’s bright eyes. “How about you? What are you dressing up as?”

The grin was back in full force and Levi saw Eren’s eyes twinkle as he started to talk animatedly. “Remember the story Ms. Ral told us days ago? The story of Little Red Riding Hood? Mom made a red cape for me and I look so cool in it! And I have a basket that I can use to trick-or-treat with!”

Levi smiled. “That sounds really cool. I wish I could see it.” The little boy was sure that his boyfriend would look really cute, but unfortunately, Halloween fell on a Saturday this year so he wouldn’t get a chance to see Eren dressed up for school.

Eren let out a gasp. “Oh! Levi, Levi! You should be the wolf from the story so we would match and we can go trick-or-treating together!” Proud of himself for the brilliant idea, Eren clapped and jumped up and down in his seat in excitement.

"Wolf?" Levi let out a thoughtful hum. It wasn't a bad idea at all. He never really intended to go trick-or-treating since he knew his maman would be working that night, but maybe he could ask permission to go with Eren instead. "Maybe. I'll ask Maman if I can go and let you know tomorrow, okay?"

Eren squealed and hugged Levi again, almost knocking the other boy off the chair. "Ooooh! I can't wait, Levi! We're going to look so cool together!"

Levi patted Eren's back and mentally prepared himself on how to politely ask for permission to go out trick-or-treating with his boyfriend without punching Uncle Kenny for the inevitable teasing.

* * *

Levi's hand throbbed from punching his uncle's calf when the man laughed maniacally after seeing him in his costume.

His ['costume'](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41duYEEObnL._SY300_.jpg) was a simple grey and white onesie with a tail attached to the back and his hood was a wolf's head design. He even had grey sneakers to match his outfit. Grumbling, the boy subconsciously pulled down his hood to cover his face. "You suck, Uncle Kenny."

"Levi, that's not a nice thing to say. And Kenny, stop laughing. I think he looks adorable," Kuchel commented.

"I'm not adorable," Levi mumbled, trying to pull more of his hood down to cover his blushing face.

“Oh ho~ How terrifying!” Kenny cackled, laughing more as he caught Levi’s little fist trying to hit him again.

Kuchel rolled her eyes but let out a playful smile. “Boys, boys, calm down. Kenny, make sure to keep an eye out for Levi and text me every so often. And Levi, be careful out there and get lots of candy, okay?”

Kenny gave her a mock salute and Levi nodded. Chuckling, she passed Levi a pail that looked like a skull and quickly took a picture of her son as they left the house. “Bye now! Be safe!”

The two Ackermans waved back to her as they walked down the street to go pick up Eren. On their way there, Levi saw many kids already out of the house in their costumes, laughing and running to the next house to ring the doorbell. Some houses had simple decorations, while others had tombstones on their lawns, scary music, and even fog machines.

Levi didn’t particularly care for Halloween, but the closer he got to Eren’s house, the more excited he was to go knocking on doors and seeing the cool decorations, especially with Eren with him.

Thankfully, the other boy lived a neighborhood over from theirs, so it only took about 10 minutes to get to his house. Levi went up the porch stairs and was able to ring the doorbell, but Eren already opened the door before he could do so.

“Levi!” Eren greeted before he lunged at the other boy. Levi stumbled a bit but managed to not fall from the hug. “Good evening, Eren,” he greeted back.

Eren grinned as he pulled away to take a look at Levi’s costume. “You look great, Lee!”

“Thanks,” Levi muttered, feeling his face flush again that night. He took a look at what Eren was wearing. “You’re wearing a dress?” The brunet was indeed wearing the signature red cape, but underneath it, Eren was wearing a [red and white dress](http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/5/5/2/3/3/3/webimg/608681893_o.jpg).

“Yeah! Do you not like it?” Eren pouted.

Levi’s eyes widened from the boy’s dejected voice. “No, no! I do, Eren. You look nice,” he reassured, blushing even harder as he did so.

Eren’s bright smile was back as he leaned forward to place a peck on Levi’s cheek. “Thank you!”

“Oi, oi! No more of that lovey dovey stuff until you’re much older, alright kids?” Kenny interrupted, not at all hiding the amusement in his voice.

Levi stuck his tongue at him at the same time Carla appeared at the door. “Oh! Good evening, Kenny, how nice to see you. Thank you again for taking the boys out trick-or-treating.”

The man nodded in acknowledgment. “It’s my pleasure, Carla. You and Grisha going to the hospital tonight?”

Carla smiled. “Yes, we won’t be back later until the next day. Are you sure you don’t need anything else for Eren?” Eren’s parents were going to be working in the ER department, and the two families agreed to let Eren stay over with Levi after they finish trick-or-treating.

“Nah, we’re set. Besides, I think he left some stuff from last time, and he could always borrow some of Levi’s clothes if they make a mess of some sort.”

“Okay, that sounds great. Thank you again.” Glancing over to where Eren and Levi were, she gestured the two to come closer to her. “Come, let’s take a picture. You both look so cute.”

Levi scrunched up his nose from being called cute but stood next to Eren with a smile.

Carla snapped a picture with her phone and quickly sent the image to Kuchel. “Alright you two, have fun and be safe!”

The two nodded and Eren grabbed Levi’s hand and rushed down the porch stairs. “Bye, Mom! I’m gonna have a mountain of candy to show you tomorrow!”

Carla laughed as she waved goodbye and Kenny followed them down the street. He was only a few feet away, enough for them to not get bothered by his presence, but not far enough so that he couldn’t keep an eye out for them.

Levi glanced back to see his uncle giving him a wink and he rolled his eyes as he felt Eren slowed down. “Hey, where’s Armin?” Armin and Eren were close friends and the little blond boy would sometimes come over to Eren’s house with Levi to play games from time to time.

“Oh, he’s going with his grandpa to do a scary book reading at the library.”

The black-haired boy nodded at the answer; not at all surprised (it was definitely something Armin would do after all). He knew that Mikasa, Eren’s other close friend as well as his own cousin, was visiting her relatives in a city over with her parents for the weekend.

The two boys walked down the street, going up to the houses with their porch lights on and saying “trick-or-treat” whenever someone answered.

Levi periodically checked inside his pail and felt happy the more it got filled with candies, chocolates, toys, and stickers. The boy was waiting on the sidewalk for Eren, and grinned when he saw the brunet run towards him, his shoes lighting up at each step he took. (The shoes still lit up surprisingly, even with the amount of running Eren does every day.) They were about to hit the next house until they saw someone familiar walk towards them.

“Oh, how cute, you’re matching,” Jean sneered as he stopped right in front of the two.

“Go away, pony boy,” Eren said as he stuck out his tongue at him.

Jean snorted and Levi tried his best not to laugh considering the other boy was wearing a horse costume. “Whatever, Eren. Why are you in a dress anyway?”

“He looks nice in it, that’s why,” Levi answered. Pleased with what he said, Eren placed another kiss on Levi’s cheek.

Jean scrunched up his face. “Gross. You know you’re not supposed to kiss until you’re married, right?”

Eren shook his head. “No, you kiss someone you like, stupid.”

Jean’s face contorted to one of anger. “No, you’re the one who’s stupid! Married people _really_ like each other and they kiss and stuff. I bet Levi doesn’t like you that much. No one would want to marry you!”

The brunet looked as if he wanted to punch him, but Levi grabbed his hand before he did so. “Neigh, neigh, go away and go find some hay.” He quickly walked away with Eren in tow.

“Hey!” Jean turned back and watched their retreating forms. Muttering under his breath, the boy turned around and bumped into someone. “Ow!”

“Oh, sorry there small one. I didn’t see you there. Do be careful, boy.”

Jean rubbed his nose from the impact and looked up to see the person’s face. He yelped when he saw the man’s menacing grin, and the single thought of ‘stranger danger’ crossed his mind as he ran past the man and shouting his apologies over his shoulder.

Kenny chuckled as he turned back to watch his nephew drag his dejected-looking boyfriend to the next house. He sighed, wondering how Levi would deal with it but then shook his head.

Ah, whatever the boy was smart. He’ll figure out a way to bring the smile back on Little Red’s face by the end of the night.

* * *

It was an hour after the incident with Jean before the two boys decided to call it quits. They were getting tired from walking around so much and carrying their candy around.

Eren's mood improved as the night progressed, especially when Levi promised him that he would give him all of his Jolly Rancher candy, but even Levi saw that his smile and his eyes didn’t match his enthusiasm.

When they got to Levi’s house, they washed up and changed into their pajamas before going into Levi’s room with their candy. Eren quickly sat down next to the bed and tilted his basket upside down to dump all the candy on the floor (thankfully, Levi cleaned his room before leaving) and started to see how much he got. Feeling cleaned and relaxed, Levi calmly sat across from Eren, making sure he didn’t accidentally sit or step on Eren’s candy and started sorting his haul one-by-one.

“Cool! Levi, look!”

Levi looked up to see Eren holding plastic fangs. “Nice. Maybe you should be a vampire next year.”

Eren nodded at the idea as he put the plastic fangs off to the side and continued rifling through his stash of candy.

Levi reached inside to pick up the next candy but felt something hard instead. Taking it out, he saw that it was a plastic ring of a jack-o’-lantern. Getting an idea, he stood up and plopped right next to Eren, shifting to make sure he was looking right at him. “Eren.”

Eren turned his attention away from his candy at the serious tone of Levi’s voice. Looking at Levi’s eyes, he turned to make sure he was facing him as well. “Yeah?”

“Do you remember what Jean said today?”

The boy bit his lips as he looked down. “Yeah,” he said in a small voice.

Levi sighed as he reached to hold both of Eren’s hands with his. “Eren, I like you. Like, _really_ like you.”

Eren looked at Levi with a smile, and Levi’s heart hurt from seeing those pretty eyes filled with unshed tears. “Really?” he sniffled as he blinked his tears away.

Levi nodded. “Yeah, I do. And when we get older,” he let go of Eren’s hand as he reached behind him to grab the ring and presented it to Eren’s shocked face. “Will you marry me?”

Eren let out a squeal as he knocked Levi over, pressing kisses all over his face. “Oh, yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Lee!” He finally pulled away from Levi to give him a chance to breathe. Sitting up straight, Levi took Eren’s left hand and slipped on the ring on the finger next to the pinky. (Levi was pretty sure that was where it was supposed to be, based on what he saw in those romance movies Uncle Kenny liked to watch.)

The two called it a night and put away their candies before turning off the lights and going to bed. Eren yawned as he snuggled closer to Levi under the thick blanket. Looking at his new ring, he noticed there was something sticking out underneath it. Curious, Eren flicked it, causing both he and Levi let to gasp when it started to light up orange.

Levi smiled when he saw Eren grinning and his eyes twinkling in happiness. He leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Eren’s lips. “Good night, Eren.”

Flicking off the ring to save the battery, Eren leaned over and returned the kiss with his own. “Good night, Levi.”

They both closed their eyes at the same time. Their hands found each other; Levi’s right hand holding Eren’s left, as both boys smiled as they drifted off to sleep.


	3. Museum Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you’ve been reunited without realizing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was posted on November 15, 2015 on my Tumblr and was written for Ereri Fluff Day 2015.
> 
> ♥ imasmi did an [adorable comic](http://imasmi.tumblr.com/post/133273971574/museum-wish-part-1-of-4-collaboration-between) of this so you should definitely check it out! :D *whispers*so smol and precious*whispers*  
> ♥ **Update:** Here's the [second part](http://imasmi.tumblr.com/post/137042491044/museum-wish-part-2-of-4-collaboration-between) to the comic!

It was another bright and sunny weekday as children crowded the front entrance of Shiganshina’s Museum of Freedom. There were hushed whispers of excitement as the children looked at the huge statues of the human-looking monsters scattered outside the museum.

Levi didn’t particularly feel as much excitement compared to his other classmates (why do they want to look at giant naked monsters all day?), but he couldn’t help but stare at Eren’s eager face; the brunet’s eyes positively sparkled in a way Levi has never seen them before and he wouldn’t stay still, jumping on the spot and grinning all the while.

Ms. Ral clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay class, remember the rules and always stay with your group. And always stay with your buddy so you won’t get lost. Am I clear?”

“Yes Ms. Ral!” the children said together.

“Good. Now, everyone go to your group and make sure to hold hands!”

The children scrambled to their groups, going to the adults that had the corresponding numbers they were assigned on the bus. Thankfully, Eren and Levi were in the same group and the adult that was supposed to watch over them was Armin’s grandfather. Of course, that meant that Armin was in the group as well. Mikasa trotted towards them and Eren happily clapped with who was in his group and stuck his tongue at Jean who was in a different group. “Bleh!”

Jean blew a raspberry back at him but yelped when he felt a tug on his ear. “Ow! Ma!”

“Don’t start picking fights again, Jean-bo.”

Jean flushed from the nickname as everyone around laughed. Happy with his minor victory, Eren latched onto Levi and rubbed his face against his. “Are you excited to see the titans, Lee?”

“Mm. I guess. They look weird, though.”

Eren giggled at the answer as he turned his attention to Mr. Arlert.

“Okay kids, you already know the rules. Hold hands with your buddy and follow me so you don’t get lost.”

Eren immediately laced his fingers with Levi’s. “Levi is my buddy and my love so we will always hold hands!”

Levi flushed at the proclamation and blushed even harder when he heard chuckles and giggles around them. He didn’t complain about it, though. Instead, he gave Eren a small smile and squeezed his hand.

Mikasa and Armin giggled at Eren’s antics as they held hands, following Mr. Arlert into the museum.

“So kids, how much do you know about the Titan War? And Armin, you can’t answer since you know so much about it already.” Armin pouted at his grandfather as Mikasa raised her hand to answer. “Yes, Mikasa?”

“Many years ago, Shiganshina was attacked by the titans and the people went to another kingdom. Five years later, the kingdom was under attack by titans again, but there was a person that could change into a titan and he was a hero. He saved the people from that attack and went with the Scouting Legion to destroy the other titans. He and the Scouting Legion won the war in 850 with all the titans gone. The people of Shiganshina were able to go back home but the hero was not found after the battle.”

Mr. Arlert let out an appreciative hum as nodded. “Very good, Mikasa. The titan shifter was called ‘Humanity’s Last Hope.’ He saved countless lives when he was in the Scouting Legion along with his other fearless comrades. And within the Scouting Legion, there was a corporal called ‘Humanity’s Strongest.’ He and the titan shifter created an unbreakable bond and lead humanity to victory over the titans; however, as you said, they were not found after their victory. Some say they died in battle and others say that they fled because the titan shifter was the last titan to be killed and needed to be executed.”

“But that’s not fair! He saved everyone!” Eren exclaimed.

“I agree with you, Eren, but this happened so long ago and we can’t do anything about their decisions. And to this day, no one knows what happened to the shifter and the corporal. At least we have this museum as a reminder of all the events that took place and the soldiers who fought for our freedom, right?”

Eren didn’t say anything but he pouted all the same. Levi rubbed soothing circles onto the boy’s hand with his thumb to calm him down. “It’s okay, Eren. I’m sure the hero and the corporal ran away together and lived happily ever after.”

Mr. Arlert chuckled. “There were rumors that they were lovers so you might be onto something there, Levi.”

“Ohhhhh! Levi, Levi! They could be us!” Eren laughed as he latched closer to Levi. The paler boy flushed and he pecked Eren’s cheek in appreciation.

“Ho ho…” was the last thing Mr. Arlert said as they reached the entrance of the village area of the museum. He watched in amusement as the kids cheered and rushed in to check out the little replica houses. His eyes lingered to Eren and Levi as he watched the little brunet with the big smile dragging his partner to see inside a carriage that was parked off to the side with a smile on his face. He whistled as he followed the kids further into the area.

“Ah, young love.”

* * *

It was around lunchtime that Mr. Arlert suggested that they should take a break. They found a nice clearing outside the museum under a large tree to have their lunch. Mr. Arlert leaned against the tree as he watched the kids sit in a circle on the picnic blanket. Eren and Levi sat next to each other, but on Eren’s other side, he had Mikasa, and next to her was Armin. The group chatted happily amongst themselves, talking about what they’ve seen and creating theories of what they thought happened in the years past. They had finished their lunches quickly and started to eat their packed desserts.

“Levi, say ‘ahh’!”

Levi scrunched his nose as Eren pushed the chocolate chip cookie closer to his mouth. “Ere- mph!”

Eren giggled as he watched Levi chewed on the cookie with a glare. “Now me, now me!”

Levi swallowed the delicious chocolaty treat as he took one of the strawberries his maman packed and placed it in Eren’s mouth. He grimaced as Eren closed his lips over his fingers and quickly grabbed his handkerchief to wipe his hand. As much as he loved Eren, he didn’t appreciate having saliva on his hands.

Even so, he repeated the process and placed more strawberries into the brunet’s mouth with some of the juice dripping off the side of his mouth.

“Eren, you’re such a messy eater,” Mikasa chided as she wiped Eren’s face with a napkin.

Levi ‘hmph’-ed at his cousin and directed Eren’s attention back to him as he placed another strawberry into his mouth. Despite his need to be clean, he wiped the juice away with his thumb when it dribbled out again. He glared at Mikasa and raised his eyebrow, challenging her to do something about it.

The girl rolled her eyes and muttered “stupid” under her breath as Armin giggled and patted her back. “It’s okay, Mikasa. This is what people in love do.”

She stuck out her tongue at that but said nothing and went back to the cake she was eating.

After feeding Eren all the strawberries, Levi ate the remaining cookies in slow bites, savoring the flavor. “Levi, you have crumbs on your face.” And before Levi could wipe them off, Eren was in his field of vision and he felt something wet on his cheek.

“Did you just lick me?”

The other boy backed away and gave him a sheepish grin. Using the handkerchief to wipe his face, Levi placed it down before leaning forward to place a peck on Eren’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Eren’s heart fluttered. Usually, it was him initiating any form of contact, but it always made him extremely happy whenever Levi kissed him or wanted to hold hands. Levi doesn’t say much or show his emotions a lot, but Eren loved it whenever he could make the raven smile or laugh. It made his heart feel warm whenever it happens.

Once they finished their food and cleaned up, Mr. Arlert directed them to another section of the museum that displayed the different titans recorded in history and facts about them. Levi was in the middle of looking at the picture about the Female Titan when he felt a tug on his sleeve. “Mm? What is it Eren?”

“Hey, let’s sneak away,” Eren whispered.

“What?”

“Shh!” Eren made shushing motions at him. “I said, let’s sneak away. I saw this really cool fountain outside and I wanted to go see it but Mr. Arlert said that we’re not allowed there.”

“Then we shouldn’t see it Eren.”

“Please, Levi? Pretty please?” The boy jutted his bottom lip out into a pout.

Levi groaned. He could never say no when Eren did that and the boy knew it. Huffing, he took out his hand in defeat. “Okay, show me.”

Eren beamed and grabbed the offered hand before dragging him away from the group. They dodged around the other groups from their class as they headed towards the exit of the area. Smiling in victory, Eren dragged Levi towards the staircase to go downstairs, and Levi, he didn’t want the smile to go away from Eren’s face so he silently followed to wherever the brunet was taking him. Eren's shoes squeaked and lit up as they went down the wax stairs (the first pair of light up shoes finally gave in but Eren immediately got another pair that happened to light up green and blue) and out the way to the exit.

Levi raised an eyebrow, impressed that Eren seemed to manage to find their way out of the museum to a secluded area outside. There were tall bushes and shrubbery left and right, roses and trees were everywhere, and in the middle of it all, was a large fountain.

The boys stared at it in awe. It spewed out a ton of water like any fountain, but the sunlight hit it just right so it looked like there was a rainbow within the rushing waters. And on top of the fountain, was a pair of overlapping wings, the symbol of the Scouting Legion that was showcased throughout the whole museum.

They were about to take a closer look at it but jumped at the sound of a new voice.

“Oh ho! What do we have here? Do I see a pair of trouble makers?”

Eren and Levi turned around to see a tall person with brown hair tied in a ponytail, peering at them behind a pair of glasses. They seemed to be a gardener based on the dirt marks and grass stains all over their clothes.

The stranger walked closer to the scared duo, removing their gloves and placing them in their pocket before crouching in front of them so they could be eye-level. “Hiya kiddos! What are your names?”

Eren, seeing the stranger’s friendly demeanor, stepped up. “Hi! I’m Eren, and this is my boyfriend, Levi!”

They raised an eyebrow and looked at them in with amusement. “It’s nice to meet you, Eren and Levi. I’m Hange, the museum’s gardener. Is it safe to assume that you two snuck away from your class to come here?”

Eren shook his head but his ears were tinged red. “Ah-ah, Eren. It’s not good to lie you know,” Hange said in a teasing voice. “But I can understand why you two did it. It’s a beautiful fountain after all. Say, do you want to hear a story about it?”

The kids nodded their heads and Hange smiled. “Do you know about the titan shifter and the corporal?” Eren and Levi nodded once more and Hange took that as a sign to continue, “Well, there were rumors that they were lovers and would often meet up at this very fountain to see each other late at night. On the night before the titan shifter’s execution, they met again once more at the fountain. There were soldiers who were on night guard duty that night claiming to have seen the two throwing something into the fountain before going on their horse and running away. It’s said that they threw a coin in the fountain as a promise to each other and that they’ll come back home together but they never did.”

Hange stood up and stretched. “Or so that’s how the story goes anyway. Who knows, maybe they did eventually come back and no one knew. Or maybe,” they looked at the kids with a twinkle in their eyes. “They will come back after being reborn. But that’s my take on the story,” they said with a wink.

Eren and Levi looked at each other as they held hands. Eren broke into a smile as he dragged Levi closer to the fountain. “Lee? Do you have a coin?”

Levi pulled a coin from his pocket using his free hand and gave it to Eren. “What do you need it for?”

“A wish! I think the titan shifter and the corporal made a wish to always be together so I want to do it too. I want to always be together with you, Levi.”

Levi felt his heart swell as he looked at Eren’s hopeful eyes. He gently put his hand on Eren’s, on the hand that was holding on the coin. “Me too. I want us to be together forever.” He leaned over and placed a kiss on Eren’s lips. He felt the brunet’s lips forming into a smile before he felt his kiss being returned.

Pulling back, Eren threw the coin into the fountain and the two watched the coin sink into the water. They heard clapping behind them, completely forgetting that Hange was still there.

“That is adorable! You two are the cutest couple I’ve ever seen,” they praised.

The boys flushed at the comment as Hange chuckled. “Okay, I think it’s time for you two to head back before you get in trouble. Sound fair?” The two nodded and Hange pointed towards an open area. “Head that way and you’ll see a door that will let you back inside. I have to get back to work but good luck and enjoy the rest of the museum, okay?”

The boys nodded as they started walking towards where they were pointing at. “Bye Hange! Thank you!” Eren said as he frantically waved. Levi waved as well with a smile on his face.

“Bye kiddos! Come back soon, alright?” Hange waved back. They watched as the two hold hands towards the exit. Hange let out a small smile as they put down their hand and placed a fist over their heart in a salute. “It’s nice to see you two again.”

* * *

“Ms. Ral, please calm down. I’m sure they’re fine,” Mr. Arlert said, trying to reassure the frantic woman.

“But they weren’t with you and the bus is already here, Mr. Arlert,” Ms. Ral said as she turned the corner. The two adults looked left and right, trying to find where Eren and Levi were.

They turned into an area where the paintings were and Ms. Ral let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness.”

Eren and Levi were sitting on a bench, side by side holding hands. Eren’s head was on Levi’s shoulder and Levi rested his head on Eren’s. Behind them was a large painting of two figures in the same position. The faces of the figures in the painting weren’t clear, but one figure had unruly brown hair and the other had sleek black hair. The sleeves of the uniforms they were wearing had the Scouting Legion emblem and they were holding hands, much like what the two little ones were doing, portraying a sense of calm from the painting.

Ms. Ral giggled as she saw Eren yawn. He didn’t wake up, but he snuggled closer to Levi and mumbled “I love you” before drifting off again.

Mr. Arlert appeared behind her and chuckled at the scene before him. “At least they’ll be quiet on the bus ride home.”


	4. The Star on my Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthdays are meant for celebrating with your love. And for Christmas, they didn't need mistletoe for kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone! My gift to you? Christmas babs! :D

“Levi, your cheeks are red!” Eren said as he lightly patted the other boy’s cheek. “And cold!”

“It’s winter, Eren. Look, your nose is red too,” Levi pointed out.

Eren giggled as he covered his nose with his mitten-covered hands. “I’m Rudolph!”

The two were bundled outside of the school waiting for their parents to come pick them up. They looked like big puffballs given the overly-large jackets, snow pants, and heavy boots they were wearing topped with wooly hats and thick scarves.

Eren bounced in his spot, trying to keep warm and Levi reached his hand up to lightly swat at the pom-pom on Eren’s hat. Levi felt like a cat when the little ball of puff swayed back and forth and restrained himself from swatting at it again. Eren laughed at his actions. “Hey!”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Eren said as he cupped Levi’s cheeks and leaned in to nuzzle his nose with him. “You’re cute.”

If it were possible for a little boy to scoff, then that was what Levi did. “Am not. You’re cuter.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Ya-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Ya-huh.”

“Nu-hey!”

Levi tackled Eren into a snowbank and blew a raspberry at the laughing boy beneath him. “Ya-huh.”

Eren pouted and rolled to his side so that Levi was thrown onto the snowbank as well. The brunet smiled as he turned to face Levi with his still-red nose and Levi felt heat creeping up his face as he saw snowflakes stuck onto Eren’s lashes.

Eren was really _really_ pretty. So pretty, sometimes it hurt to even look at him; however, Levi was glad that he was his boyfriend and had every chance to look at Eren whenever he could.

Levi leaned over to peck Eren’s cheek before resting his head on the snowbank, ignoring the snow melting underneath him.

“Lee?”

“Hm?”

“Do you want to build a snowman?” Eren started singing.

“Eren, no.”

“Come on and let’s go play!”

“Ah, okay, okay!” Levi said as he got up. Don’t get him wrong, he loved Eren’s singing voice, but he has heard the song so many times in choir that he got tired of hearing it over and over again. He offered his hand to Eren, and the brunet happily accepted it as they walked hand-in-hand to a clear area with a good amount of snow on the ground.

They set off to work, starting with a snowball and letting the snow on the ground build it up so that it was a gigantic snowball. Placing their snowballs next to each other, Levi helped Eren lift his snowball on top of his since it was smaller (Levi was the fastest runner in their class, hence he built his snowball bigger in size). Eren went to go find some twigs and came back with them and some pebbles as well. The brunet started decorating the snowman while Levi started the second one.

Once they were done, there were two snowmen right next to each other, one taller than the other one. Eren laughed as he pointed to the smaller snowman with grey pebbles as eyes, “That one is you,” he said to Levi and then pointed to the one taller one next to it with pine needles stuck together for eyes and tiny pinecones for eyebrows. “And that one is me!” Somehow, Eren managed to make it so that the little twigs were touching each other as though the snowmen were holding hands.

Levi smiled in agreement and Eren leaned back so that he could fall onto the snow. He flapped his arms and legs and once he was done, he carefully moved away from his spot and pointed down. “Look! A snow angel!”

Levi hummed as he walked around to the top of the angel and balancing on one foot, he traced an oval with his boot to make a halo. “There. Now it’s an angel, just like you.”

Eren let out a happy chirp and grabbed hold of Levi’s hand so that he could lead them to another clear area to start making a snow fort.

They were about finished until a snowball hit one area of the fort with enough force to cause it to come crumbling down.

“Hey!” Eren yelled out as he whipped his direction to where the snowball came from.

Of course it was Jean a few feet away from them with a snowball in his hand and a few more at his feet. “Nice fort, Eren. Too bad it’s as weak as you!”

“I am not! You’re just mad that Ms. Ral said that I was able to carry one block more than you in class today!”

“That’s because Connie bumped into me! If he didn’t, I would have beaten you, stupid!” Jean yelled.

“No, that’s stupid! You’re stupid!” Eren yelled back. Knowing that something was going to happen (seriously, Eren and Jean argue every single time they saw each other), Levi grabbed Eren's hand, placed a snowball he made inside and closed Eren's mitten on top of it. Eren looked at Levi with a confused look but the boy just nodded and brought his glove-covered finger to his lips to make a shushing motion. Eren giggled and mouthed a silent “thank you” to his boyfriend.

“Hey! Stop ignoring me!” Jean yelled out as he threw the snowball at them to regain their attention.

Faster than anyone expected, Levi threw a snowball and it collided with Jean’s snowball, making it explode into snow mist. Jean’s look of surprise made Levi smirk. “Too slow.”

Jean let out a cry of frustration and bent down to pick up the snowballs and started throwing them in Eren and Levi’s direction.

Thankfully because Levi thought ahead, they had their own supply of snowballs and started hurling them at Jean.

Two against one wasn’t exactly fair, but Levi was Eren’s boyfriend and it was a boyfriend’s duty to help his boyfriend defeat his enemy.

Eren threw the last snowball and breathed heavily as he was getting tired. He watched as Jean got assaulted by snowballs, one after another by Levi’s accurate aim until Levi had no more snowballs left. Levi exhaled and turned to Eren, giving him a smile of victory.

Eren was about to go kiss him for a job well done until he saw one more incoming snowball directed towards Levi. Before he could think, he leaped and pushed Levi out of the way, feeling the snowball hit his chest as he fell backward.

“EREN!” Levi yelled out as he quickly knelt beside the brunet.

“Uh oh,” Jean said to himself as he ran away. He definitely did not want to deal with Levi’s wrath before the winter break. Hopefully, it would blow over and he would forget about this incident when they return back to school.

Not noticing Jean’s departure, Levi looked at Eren’s figure on the snow with a worried expression. “Eren? Eren?” Seeing the brunet’s closed eyes and lack of movement made Levi’s heart sink, as though he has seen this before and did not like it one bit. “Eren! Eren! Please, open your eyes!” he felt tears threatening to spill as he sniffled.

The heavy feeling in his chest growing until he saw green eyes cracking open. “Eren!” he cried out happily as he bent down to hug him. “Are you okay? You made me so worried! What were you thinking?!”

Eren slowly sat up and patted Levi’s back. “Lee, Lee, it’s okay, I’m okay. I was trying to protect you, silly.”

Levi pulled back and gave Eren a glare. “Jean’s right, you’re stupid! Don’t ever do that again!”

Eren pouted as he leaned on Levi. “I’m sorry for making you worry, Levi.” He kissed Levi’s eyelids, just like he did the first time Eren saved him from the dark. “Forgive me?” he asked with pleading eyes.

Levi sighed. He could never be angry at Eren for too long. He nodded and Eren beamed as he kissed Levi’s cheek. “Good! I don’t like making you angry or sad, Levi.”

“Same,” he said as he shivered.

“Oh! Your scarf is messy, let me help you.” Eren took one end of Levi’s scarf and looped it around the raven’s head until the last part landed on the top. “There!”

The black-haired boy shook his head in amusement before he straightened the scarf and ignored Eren’s. After he was done, he noticed Eren’s bare hands. “Eren, where are your mittens?”

Eren looked down to see the strings attached to his jacket, but the mittens were missing. Looking around, he saw that they were underneath some snow and he groaned once he picked them up. “Aw, Mom is not going to be happy and they’re wet too!” Seeing how he couldn’t fix it, he stuffed the mittens into his jacket pockets and blew on his cold hands.

Levi took off his own mittens and placed Eren’s hands within his. He started rubbing them together to keep them warm. He brought the hands closer to his face and blew warm air on them before placing kisses on each knuckle. Eren’s face turned red (and it wasn’t because of the cold) but didn’t say anything. He let Levi continue warming his hands until they heard someone call for them.

“Eren? Levi?”

They turned towards to two familiar figures walking towards them. “Maman!” “Mom!”

“There you boys are, we were looking everywhere for you,” Carla chided as Eren hugged her. “We have some good news for you two.”

“Really?” Levi asked.

Kuchel crouched down to give him a hug. “Yes. Mrs. Yeager was kind enough to invite us to join her family for dinner on Christmas.”

“Really, Mom? Levi’s coming over?” Eren beamed.

Carla smiled as she tried to fix up Eren’s hat. “Of course. I know it will be Levi’s birthday as well, so we thought it would be great if we combined the two celebrations together. Are you two okay with that?”

“Yes!” they both exclaimed.

Kuchel chuckled. “That’s good. We have a few things to do, but we’ll be staying over with the Yeagers in a few days from now. You think you can be patient until then, mon petit chou?”

“Yes, Maman.”

“Good. Now, we need to go buy some gifts. Go say bye to Eren, okay? We’ll see them soon.”

Levi nodded and went over to give Eren a hug. “Bye, Eren. I’ll see you soon.”

“Mm!” Eren hummed happily as he enthusiastically hugged Levi back. “I can’t wait for you to come over, Levi! We’re going to have so much fun!”

Levi smiled as he pulled away. “Okay.” He went over to take hold of his maman’s hand and laughed when he heard Carla scolding Eren about his mittens.

There was an extra bounce in his step as he thought about all the fun stuff he could do with Eren.

Question was, what to get Eren as a gift?

* * *

“Merry Christmas!” the Yeager household greeted when they opened the door.

“Merry Christmas,” the Ackermans replied with a smile.

The adults conversed with one another as Eren dragged Levi into the house. “Levi, Levi, come look at the tree!”

Levi smiled as he followed Eren into the living room. His eyes widened when the large and magnificent tree came into view. There were colorful lights, ribbons, and ornaments adorning the tree and at the very top was a large yellow star. “Do you like it?” Eren asked.

“It’s beautiful,” Levi said in a hushed tone. “Did you help?”

“Yup! Dad carried me on his shoulders and I put the star on the tree!” Eren exclaimed happily. He went over to pluck something off the table and dangled it over them. “And this is mistletoe, Levi. You have to kiss the other person if you’re both standing under it.”

Levi flushed but leaned forward to kiss Eren anyway. Eren grinned as he kept a steady hold on the leafy plant as he kissed Levi back.

The adults finally walked into the room and Kenny had to turn around to muffle his laughter. Grisha chuckled but pulled out a camera to start taking pictures of the two. Kuchel leaned in to whisper to Carla, “When do we tell them that that’s holly and not mistletoe?”

Carla giggled and shook her head. “Let them be. We’ll embarrass them when they’re older.”

The two families went to the dining room where all the food was and promptly sat down to start eating.

Even though it was hard to eat with his other hand, Levi didn’t let go of Eren’s hand throughout dinner until his maman came back from the kitchen with a cake and everyone sang ‘Happy Birthday’ before she placed it in front of it. “Make a wish, mon petit chou.”

Levi glanced over to Eren who was smiling at him and nodded. He glared at his uncle, making sure the man was more than arm’s-length distance away from him so that he doesn’t dunk his head into the cake. (Uncle Kenny did it last year and let’s just say, Levi was infuriated and the aftermath was not pretty.)

He closed his eyes, made his wish, and blew out the candles as the rest of the room clapped.

The cake was delicious, but Levi was red for the rest of the evening as Eren insisted on feeding him the cake, much to the amusement of the adults in the room.

After the final bite, Eren kissed his cheek and led him back to the living room with the tree while the adults continued chatting and cleaning up. Pulling Levi to sit down, Eren pulled a box from under the tree and passed it to Levi. “Here! This is my gift to you.”

Levi graciously accepted the gift, noting the wrinkles in the wrapping paper and multiple pieces of tape were stuck together, trying to hold everything in place. He carefully unraveled the paper until it revealed a box. Opening the lid, his eyebrows rose in surprise as he carefully took out a key necklace. “Eren, this is…”

“Yup. My special key.”

Eren brought the key to class one time for show-and-tell, claiming that it was his most prized treasure because his dad gave it to him since he was a baby.

Gently gripping the key, Levi asked, “Are you sure, Eren? I know this is important to you.”

Eren smiled. “You’re more important to me, Levi. This key is my heart and it belongs to you.”

The other boy felt undeniably happy as he leaned over to kiss Eren on his plush lips. “Thank you, Eren. Stay right there, I have something for you too.” He looped the key around his neck as he dashed off to the front entrance of the house and grabbed the gift he left there.

Returning to Eren’s side, he passed the small box to Eren. “Here, I saved up my allowance so I could get you this.”

Eren accepted it with a smile and took off the bow from the box and placed it on Levi. “Thank you, but you’re the only present I ever want.”

Levi smiled as he hugged Eren. “Silly, I’m always yours.”

Eren laughed at that as he finally opened the gift, and unlike Levi, he tore apart the wrapping paper and Levi shook his head in amusement.

There was a small box, and Eren gasped as he opened it. Inside was a [small ring](http://gabbyb.tv/wp-content/uploads/wing_singlesilver.jpg) on a plush cushion. The ring band was silver in color, with two wings – one black and one white – connected together by a small green rhinestone. Eren gently picked it up and noticed that the band was adjustable, happy to know that once he gets bigger, he could still wear the ring.

He immediately placed it on his ring finger and adjusted the size, giving Levi the biggest smile. “It’s so beautiful, thank you Levi!” he said as he hugged the boy, placing kisses all over his face.

Eren then got up and ran to the dining room, excitedly telling everyone what Levi got for him and the birthday boy smiled, holding onto the key that he received.

Eren soon came back with mugs of hot cocoa, taking slow steps so that he wouldn’t spill any before giving it to Levi. They pressed up against each other and stared at the tree, talking to each other in hushed voices until their drinks were empty and Eren yawned, indicating that it was time to sleep.

Carla came by to pick up their mugs and asked if they want to move to Eren’s room but declined, saying that they wanted to sleep in the living room. The woman gave them a gentle smile before Kuchel and Kenny came by, saying their farewells and final happy birthdays and that they would pick Levi up the next day before they left.

Eren and Levi snuggled together on top of the blanket and pillow nest that they had created right next to the tree. Carla and Grisha said their good nights and turned off the lights, but the tree was still sparkling.

Eren started to sing a lullaby to make Levi go to sleep but ended up making himself sleepy instead. Levi smiled as he heard Eren’s little snores and a quiet mumble of “Happy Birthday.” He kissed Eren’s forehead before he took one final look at the tree.

The star was still shining brightly and Levi closed his eyes with a smile, happy that he was able to celebrate Christmas and his birthday with the person beside him.

He whispered, “I love you,” not seeing the brunet’s grin before going to sleep, dreaming of sugar plum fairies and Eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Finally caught up with the posting! :P Now to work on COMH. OTL


	5. Crystal Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Fairy Tale:** To dream that you are a character in a fairy tale suggests your need to be rescued or to be swept off your feet. It also indicates that you are exploring your limits and trying to awaken your fullest potential. ([dreammoods.com](http://www.dreammoods.com/))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧ Let's start the year strong with some babs! :D
> 
> The following isn't an accurate retelling of the Grimm Fairy Tale, The Crystal Ball, but you can check out the real story [here](http://www.skepticfiles.org/mys2/grimm197.htm)!

Carla laughed when she saw the scene before her. Eren had Levi pinned down on the bed and was relentlessly tickling his boyfriend, saying “roar” as he did so. “Okay boys, settle down.”

Eren stopped his actions and smiled at her. Levi’s face was red as he tried to regain his breath and (gently) pushed Eren off of him, flopping down onto the soft mattress under him. “Sorry, Mrs. Yeager.”

Eren giggled as he rolled onto his stomach and turned to look at her. “Yeah, sorry Mom.”

The woman shook her head with a smile. “You two need to sleep now, you hear?”

“Aw!” Eren pouted. He shuffled so that he could slip under the covers next to Levi. “Do we have to go to sleep now? “

Carla walked into her son’s room and tucked them in properly and brushed away the stray strands of hair on Eren’s face as she leaned down to place a kiss on his forehead. “Yes, you do. It’s way past your bedtime.”

“But I want to see the New Year,” Eren continued to pout.

“When you’re older, Eren,” she said. “I have to go back to the other guests now. Be good and go to sleep, okay? I’ll make sure to make your favorite pancakes in the morning if you do.”

“Lee! We’re gonna get pancakes!” Eren happily said, Levi nodding in response.

Carla laughed as she turned off the lights. “Good night you two, see you next year,” she said with a wink as she closed the door.

The two boys snuggled closer to each other when they heard the faint footsteps walking away. Eren giggled when he felt Levi’s hand on his. “Cold.”

“You’re always so warm Eren,” Levi idly commented. It wasn’t much of a surprise to him; Eren exuded radiance and was always bright like the sun.

Eren let out a happy hum as he drifted off with his eyes closed. “You’ll be the first thing I’ll see in the New Year, Levi.”

It was Levi’s turn to hum as he closed his eyes as well. “And I’ll see you in the New Year too, Eren.”

“Mm. Good night.”

Levi tilted his head so he could kiss Eren’s cheek before nuzzling into his neck, not seeing the other boy’s smile. “Good night, Eren,” he said as he slowed down his breathing, both not saying anything as they let themselves dream about the New Year.

* * *

There once was a witch who lived in a cabin far, far away from the kingdom of Rose.

The witch had three children: Mikasa, Armin, and Eren.

Her children were not related to each other, nor were they related to the witch, but they lived happily together in their small cabin.

But year after year until the children grew up to the age of five, the witch grew to distrust them, thinking that they would someday steal her powers away.

To make sure it would never happen, she placed a spell onto Mikasa, making her transform in an eagle that lived in the mountain cliffs.

Then she made Armin transform into a whale, living in the deepest parts of the ocean, capable of shooting up strong jets of water onto the ocean’s surface.

Fearing that he would be next, Eren fled far away in secret when she was not looking one day.

He fled to the kingdom of Rose, where he heard a rumor about the Trost castle. It was hidden on top of the mountain with a lonely prince in the enchanted castle waiting to be rescued.

Interested, Eren headed off to find the Trost castle, even though the townspeople had warned him of the many failed attempts of the prince’s rescue; it did not deter him from his quest for he had a courageous heart and set forth on to his new journey to rescue the lonely prince.

He traveled with his feet, far away from the town center and into a forest where he saw two giants tugging on something in the distance.

“It’s mine!”

“No, it’s mine, Connie! Give it back!”

“Ow! Sasha, stop biting, that’s not fair!”

“Give it!”

“Excuse me?” Eren asked loudly in the most polite way possible. “What are you two doing?”

“Oh! Hello, little human. We were fighting over who will get this hat,” the giant with brown hair said.

“Yes. We saw it at the same time, grabbed for it at the same time, and are equally as strong,” the other one added.

“What is so special about the hat?” Eren asked.

“This is a magic hat!” the brown-haired giant said.

“Sasha is right. If you put on the hat and make a wish of where you want to go, you will be there in a few seconds,” the other one said, giving Eren a thoughtful look. “Maybe you can help us? Smaller people are smarter than us giants.”

Eren tilted his head but nodded. “Okay! How about a race? If you give me the hat, I’ll go far, far away and I’ll yell really loudly. Then, whoever comes to me first, gets the hat.”

The two giants agreed and gave Eren the hat. The little boy put on the magical hat and ran across the field as fast as he could; however, Eren’s mind drifted back to the lonely prince and the castle.

Forgetting about the giants, Eren said out loud, “I wish I was at Trost castle!” And like magic, he was instantly in front of the large gates of said castle on the mountain tops.

He went inside the castle, going through the hallways until he reached the top of the castle.

Opening the door, he saw a boy who appeared to be his age with pale skin and black hair but had the face of a horse.

“You look silly,” Eren commented.

“Hey!” the other boy said in an indignant voice. “I don’t actually look like this. The stupid magician put a weird spell on me. Look, the mirror shows my real face.”

Eren stepped inside the room and walked over to the mirror, his eyes widening in surprise. “Oh! You are very pretty!”

The other boy looked down, but his face was flushed pink. “Thanks. Um, what’s your name?”

“Eren! And what’s yours?”

“Levi,” the boy answered with a sniffle.

Seeing the boy’s tears, Eren knelt down to look at him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just-” the boy hiccupped before continuing, “It has been so long since someone has come up here. Most of them run away after seeing my face. I hate this. I want to get out of here and go outside and play but I can’t.”

Eren wiped away the boy’s tears and looked at him in the eyes. “I will save you, Levi, I have the bravest heart after all! What can I do?”

Levi rubbed his eyes and sniffled a few times before answering. “You have to get this crystal ball and show it to the magician, but it’s really hard to get it and I don’t want you to get hurt, Eren.”

“I want to help you, Levi. I want to go out with you so we can play all these fun games! And I’m not afraid of anything either! Please, tell me what to do.”

Levi blinked the last few tears away and looked into Eren’s determined eyes. The cursed prince swallowed when he saw the fiery passion in those green eyes and nodded. “Okay.”

Eren smiled and Levi’s heart was filled with hope. Maybe this boy would be able to free him.

Levi took a deep breath before he started explaining. “You’ll have to go down this mountain and there will be a wild boar that you’ll have to fight. If you win, a firebird will come out of it. This bird will have an egg on its body and inside the egg is the crystal. You’ll have to take the egg from the bird.

“But you have to be careful with the egg, though. If it falls onto the ground, everything will catch on fire and the crystal will melt. But, if you are able to get it safely, you come back here and show it to the magician so that I will be free.”

Eren nodded. “Okay! I’ll come back for you soon, Levi.” The little boy hugged the other, who was surprised at the gesture, before parting away and running down the halls to the exit.

The little boy ran down the mountain as fast as he could with his endless energy, passing through every tree and hopping over every rock on his way.

He eventually stopped when he saw a spring at the bottom of the mountain. Walking slowly towards it, Eren looked around to see where the boar was.

There were a few rustling sounds until there was a high-pitched squeal and Eren rolled away just before the boar trampled on him.

The boar snuffed, stamping its hooves onto the ground, and let out another high-pitched squeal as it charged forward at Eren. He once again barely dodged the incoming attack and hid behind a large rock to protect himself.

Eren looked around and grabbed a handful of pebbles to shoot them at the boar’s way but it was no use as it continued charging forward towards Eren. Again, the boy fled away and hid behind a tree, but this time, the boar collided its head onto the solid object.

It shook its head once it recovered from dizziness and bashed its head at the tree in anger.

Seeing that the boar was distracted, Eren crept away and hid behind another tree, watching the boar repeatedly smashing its head and breaking off pieces of bark from the tree.

The boar finally took notice that the boy was no longer behind the tree and saw Eren peeking behind in another and charged forward, again hitting its head against the tree.

It went on like that for several hours. The boar would attack the tree in anger, and while it was distracted, Eren would sneak away and hide behind another until the boar noticed and tried to attack Eren again.

Eventually, the boar’s head was no longer able to take it as it finally stopped and fell over with a large ‘thud.’

Eren emerged from the tree and looked at the boar sadly, but he had to be strong; Levi was waiting for him to save him after all!

The boy stepped back in surprise when he saw the boar’s head glowing as a red bird emerged out of it. Flying high up into the sky, its feet were clawing an egg into a safe hold.

“Oh no!” Eren wasn’t prepared to retrieve the egg once he defeated the boar. He quickly ran after it, making sure that the firebird did not leave his sight.

There was the telltale call of an eagle and Eren watched as he saw his eagle-turned sister, Mikasa, chase after the firebird as well, chasing it down to the ocean.

Mikasa was pecking at the other bird hard enough with her beak to make the firebird lose its grip on the egg, making it fall down towards the vast, open waters.

However, the egg did not fall into the ocean; instead, it fell onto an abandoned hut, turning everything into a sea of fire.

Eren watched the flames engulf the shores of the ocean, feeling a sense of hopelessness. The crystal ball surely melted in those flames.

Suddenly, a whale emerged from the ocean and sprayed strong jets of water at the fire, making it go out.

Eren smiled as he ran towards the ashy shores. “Thank you, Armin! And Mikasa too!” he waved.

Mikasa screeched as she landed on Armin’s head and the latter rumbled in response.

Eren dug through the burnt, wet planks until he saw the egg already cracked open. Eren reached inside the egg and pulled out a crystal ball that had no cracks and was completely undamaged. “Yes!”

Eren stored the crystal ball into the pouch he carried as he walked off and waved goodbye to his siblings, promising that he would return soon. He left the shores and walked up the mountain tops, making sure the crystal ball did not hit anything on the way up.

He reached the flat platform of the mountain tops and saw someone with brown hair and glasses wearing a dark purple robe standing outside of the castle. “Oh ho! What do we have here?” they asked with an amused grin.

Eren went up to the person and took the crystal ball out of his pouch to present to them. “I got the crystal ball. Can I go play with Levi now?”

The magician cackled. “Oh my! I guess my spell is broken. Keep it, brave hero, as you are now king of this castle. You can also change your brother and sister back to humans with this crystal ball as well.”

“Really? Can Armin and Mikasa come live in the castle too?” Eren asked.

The magician continued to chuckle. “Whatever you like, little king. Now go on, I’m sure Prince Levi would be more than happy to see you,” they said as they disappeared.

Eren ran inside the castle after putting away the crystal ball, going all the way to the top to see Levi without his horse face. “Levi!”

“Eren!” Levi ran up to the boy and hugged him. “You did it! You actually did it!”

“Of course!” Eren puffed out his chest in pride. “And I get to be king of this castle too!”

“O-Oh. Does that mean…”

“Mhm! I get to marry you. Is that okay?”

Levi didn’t respond but he softly kissed Eren’s lips before nodding.

Eren beamed and hugged Levi closer. “Yay! We can go play as much as we want outside! And- oh! You get to meet my brother and sister too! This is going to be so much fun!” he exclaimed, picking up the other boy and twirling him around in the room.

“Hey!” Levi said but laughed when he saw Eren’s joyful face.

The two kissed and danced the whole afternoon and at night, Armin and Mikasa were transformed back to humans. They moved into the castle, becoming Eren and Levi’s advisor and knight respectively.

The castle was renewed with energy as all four took care of it. They played around inside and outside, their laughter and screams of joy echoing through the walls.

Eren and Levi exchanged rings and kissed many more times when they did.

And they lived happily ever after.

* * *

Green and grey eyes opened at the same time when they heard a loud sound coming from outside. Eren smiled as he leaned over to kiss Levi before flopping back down, lifting his hand to run his fingers through Levi’s hair. “I had a funny dream,” he whispered.

“Oh? What was it about?” Levi asked in a sleepy voice.

“I had a dream about you being stuck in a castle and I had to fight this boar to get a crystal to free you. Mikasa was in the dream too, but she was an eagle, and same with Armin, but he was a whale. But they changed back to humans in the end so it was okay. I got the crystal and showed it to Hange – remember them? – and they told me that I was king of the castle and you were my husband!”

Levi’s eyes widened as he sat himself up on the bed. “What?”

Eren followed Levi up and stared into his pretty grey eyes. “Yeah! And we played all around the castle and got married!”

“I had the same dream too…”

Eren’s eyes also widened but then he grinned. “That’s so cool! We had the same dream, Levi! It means that we’re soulmates!”

“Shh! Not so loud! Your mom will hear us!” Levi harshly whispered.

Eren giggled but he and Levi yelped when they heard another loud sound from outside. Levi turned to look out the window and heard Eren’s quiet squeal. “Fireworks, Levi!”

The smaller boy nodded as he felt Eren press next to him, placing his head on his shoulder as he watched the fireworks bloom in front of him.

Looking at the digital clock, Levi saw the glowing ‘12:00’ and said, “It’s the New Year.”

Eren lifted his head and looked at Levi. “That means we have to kiss. It’s tradition to kiss on New Year’s, Levi.”

Levi was glad it was still dark because he was blushing again. Closing his eyes he leaned forward and kissed Eren. His heart still beat faster whenever he kissed Eren, even after doing it so many times before.

When they pulled away, Eren giggled and pressed his forehead with Levi’s, seeing the other boy’s flushed face when another firework bloomed and lighting the room briefly. “Happy New Year, Levi. Let’s be together for the next, okay?”

Levi gave him a gentle smile and nodded slightly. “Okay, Eren, I promise. And Happy New Year to you too.”

Eren smiled at that and the two watched the fireworks together in silence, making a wish that they would spend every New Year together forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also from dreammmoods.com:
> 
> **Crystal Ball:** To see or look through a crystal ball in your dream suggests that you are looking for guidance and direction in your life. It represents your outlook of the future. 
> 
> **Eagles:** To see an eagle in your dream symbolizes nobility, pride, fierceness, freedom, superiority, courage, and powerful intellectual ability. It also represents self-renewal and your connection with your spirituality. You will struggle fiercely and courageously to realize your highest ambitions and greatest desires.
> 
> **Whales:** To see a whale in your dream represents your intuition and awareness. You are in tuned with your sense of spirituality.


	6. Chocolate Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love takes time to build up, but the end is always sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day my dearest honeybuns! ^O^ Hope your day is filled with tons of love and fluff!

Children cheered when the shrill of the recess bell rang throughout the school, bursting through the doors as they went around the playground with their friends. Eren laughed as he took Levi’s hand and parked them on the edge of the sandbox.

“Let’s build a sandcastle,” Eren suggested.

Levi nodded as he took one of the shovels and started digging. While he doesn’t like to play with sand (it is quite dirty after all), he wanted to play with Eren so he was willing to push away his need for cleanliness for Eren’s happiness.

The two made quick work and were almost finished building their sandcastle until one side of it got kicked away by none other than Jean.

“Hey!” Eren yelled as he stood up. “What are you doing?”

“Making it better, duh. It looked stupid,” Jean said with a smug look.

“ **You** look stupid!” was Eren’s comeback.

“No, YOU are! You’re a stupid, idiot loser!”

“Take that back, horse face!”

“Stop calling me that!”

Eren screeched as he tried grabbing the other boy but arms wrapped around his waist, preventing him from doing so. “Eren, don’t. You might get yourself hurt,” Levi said as he tried to calm down his boyfriend.

“Let me go, Lee! Stop acting like Mikki!” Eren tried thrashing around the shorter boy’s hold but to no avail. Levi was the strongest kindergartener after all.

“HA! You can’t even win against Levi, you weakling!”

“SHUT. UP!”

Jean stuck his tongue out and ran away laughing. Eren huffed in anger and glared at Levi when the other boy let go of him. “Why did you stop me?”

“You could have been hurt. I don’t want you to get hurt, Eren,” Levi said as he looked down.

Eren’s eyes immediately softened and he hugged Levi. “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Levi returned the hug. “You should stop fighting with Jean, it’s not worth it.”

“But I hate him.”

“Eren, you need to be nicer to him.”

The younger one huffed and Levi let out a sigh as he pulled away, holding Eren’s cheeks in his hands. “I know you don’t like him, but being angry all the time is not good.”

Eren pouted at that. “But…”

“For me?” Levi asked, giving Eren a quick peck on his pouty lips. “Will you try for me?”

“Mhm,” Eren agreed, nodding his head. “I’ll try.”

Levi smiled at that. “Thank you. Come, recess is almost over. Let’s finish our sandcastle, okay?”

Eren gave him a toothy grin. “Okay!”

* * *

Ms. Ral clapped her hand twice. “Everyone, listen up! It’s time to deliver your Valentine’s Day cards and once you’re done, you can have your snack time!”

The children cheered as they all went to their cubbies to grab their stack of cards and chocolates to deliver to their fellow classmates' little mailbox that they decorated earlier that day.

Levi finished dropping off the last of the cards he had before going back to his desk like the other kids. He looked inside his box and took out each card one by one and read them. Some of the cards were store bought while others were handmade. Levi scrunched his nose from all the glitter that almost every card had and he internally groaned about how annoying it would be to clean everything up. There were also some sweets in his box, but it was the last card in the box that he was most interested in.

He picked up the envelope that had the card inside and flipped it over, smiling when he saw his name written in Eren’s handwriting. Levi opened the envelope and let out a sigh of relief that there wasn’t any glitter in it as he took out the card and inspected it.

Interestingly, the card didn’t have the typical heart and Valentine’s Day design – it was completely blank. Levi raised a brow at the plain card but let out a gasp when he saw what was inside.

It was a handmade pop-up card with a drawing of him and Eren holding hands in the middle and a big heart behind them. The heart had the words, “Be My Valentine Forever!” in the neatest print Levi has ever seen Eren do – spelled correctly too. His cheeks felt warm as he closed the card and opened it back up to see the pop-up action several times.

“Levi!”

The black-haired boy closed the card at his name being called and looked up to see Eren smile brightly at him.

“Thank you for the card, Levi! It’s super pretty!” Eren said as he waved the card Levi made for him; it was a heart-shaped card with some ribbon tying it together like a book. It took Levi ages to loop the ribbon together and his uncle teased him for the amount of attempts he did to make the perfect bow, but he was glad that Eren appreciated his card. “Hey, I’m going to have my snack with Jean.”

Levi frowned. Ever since he met Eren, they never missed snack time together. “Jean? Why?”

“So I can say sorry. I’ll see you later, okay?” Before he could say anything, Eren dashed off, leaving Levi at his desk.

The pale boy’s frown didn’t leave as he watch Eren skip towards Jean, who had a weary look on his face. He felt a sharp pain in his chest when Eren gave Jean chocolate chip cookies – the cookies that Eren always shared with him when they had snacks together – which the other boy gratefully accepted. Levi clenched a fist over his chest where his heart was, watching Eren and Jean sitting together and laughing.

Why was Eren laughing with Jean? Why was he sitting with Jean instead of him during snack time? Why did Eren give Jean the cookies they always shared?

And why does his heart hurt so badly?

“Levi? Are you- oh my! Levi, what’s wrong?”

Levi looked up to see a blurry figure above him. He blinked and felt tears go down his cheeks when he finally saw Ms. Ral’s worried look. She immediately crouched and made soothing sounds as she patted his head. “Are you okay?”

He sniffled and shook his head.

Ms. Ral frowned. “It’s rare to see you like this. Is something the matter?”

Levi took a glance back to where Eren was, still laughing with Jean about something, and felt the sharp pain in his chest again.

He stubbornly wiped away his tears with his shirt (something he normally wouldn’t do) and shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing.”

* * *

Levi swung his legs back and forth on the chair as he waited for his uncle to show up. His body stiffened when he felt a poke to his side. Turning to look at who the culprit was, he frowned when he saw Eren’s smiling face. He looked away and bit his lips as he continued to frown, ignoring the way his heart was hammering in his chest.

“Lee?”

“What?” was his gruff reply.

Eren seemed stunned by the sound as he cautiously asked, “Is… is everything alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Eren slumped his shoulders. “Levi, you’ve been ignoring me today. Did I do something wrong?”

Levi shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. Go talk to your new boyfriend instead.”

“What?” Eren looked confused. “Levi, what are you talking about?”

Levi sighed. “Jean? Your new boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Eren exclaimed, getting out of his seat. “You’re being very weird, Levi.”

“Am I?” Levi raised his voice, getting off of his chair as well. “ _You_ were the one being so nice to him during snack time.”

“But you were the one who told me to be nicer!”

“But you gave him your cookies and you guys were laughing together!”

“I don’t understand you, Levi!” Eren reached to grab Levi’s arm. “Levi, what’s wrong?” he asked in a worried voice.

“Get away!” Levi yelled as he pushed Eren off of him.

However, the force of his push was too strong as Levi watched Eren cry out when he landed on the floor.

Realizing what he just did, he quickly knelt down and pulled Eren to an upright position. “Eren, are you-”

_SLAP!_

Levi felt the painful sting on his cheek and slowly raised his hand to touch the reddening area. Turning his head, his heart plummeted when he saw tears going down Eren’s cheek. “Eren, I-”

“Don’t touch me!”

The pain he felt before was nothing compared to his heart-shattering at the sight of Eren crying in front of him and the words he said.

Eren got up and ran out of Levi’s line of sight, crying, but he didn’t get up and follow him, too devastated to realize what just happened.

Levi didn’t know how long he was kneeling on the floor for, but he felt a large hand on his head and the familiar and teasing voice. “Hey there, shrimp. What’re you doing down there?”

Tears welt up in his eyes and Kenny was taken aback by his nephew crying. “Levi, what-”

Levi leaped from his spot and latched onto his uncle’s leg and continued crying. “Eren- he… I-” the boy hiccupped and then cried harder.

Kenny awkwardly patted Levi’s head, unsure of what to do. If he could take a guess, though, something major happened between Levi and Eren for his nephew to behave this way.

Looking up at the ceiling, he sighed, wondering why his sister had to take over her co-worker’s shift that evening.

“Oh boy.”

* * *

“So Eren shared cookies with someone other kid and you got jealous because of that?”

Levi looked down and nodded, not making any additional comments.

“And then you guys had a fight and you pushed Eren onto the floor,” Kenny said.

Levi’s breath hitched as his heart felt heavy in his chest. “Yes,” he said in a small voice.

Kenny frowned as he scratched his head. “That was dumb of you.”

“I know.”

He sighed at Levi’s slouched figure. He really wished that Kuchel was here instead of him; he sucked at comforting people. “So what’re you going to do about it?”

“I don’t know,” Levi shrugged. “I want to say sorry but,” His eyes started welling up with tears again as he thought back to Eren’s angry crying face. “He hates me now.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Kenny tried to reassure him. “I’m sure he’s just upset. Just give him some time to calm down before apologizing to him, alright?”

Levi nodded. “Okay…” He got off of his seat. “I’m going to my room.”

“Sure. Take it easy, alright?”

The little boy didn’t say anything as he went upstairs to his room, closing the door before going to his bed and burying himself under the covers. He curled himself into a ball and reached under his shirt to take out the necklace Eren gave him for Christmas and held it close to him as his heart lurched. “Eren…”

He started thinking back of Eren’s pretty smile and contagious laughter. Eren was his sunshine and he made his sunshine sad.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Eren,” he said out loud, wishing that Eren was there with him, to sing him a lullaby so that he could hear his pretty voice again.

But, Eren wasn’t there with him.

Wiping his eyes with his sleeves again, he put the necklace under his shirt and poked his head out of the covers and was met by the black, beady eyes of his teddy bear, Mr. Cuddles. Sniffling, he reached out to grab the soft, fluffy plush and held it close to him.

Mr. Cuddles was no Eren, but Levi felt a bit better as he buried his face into the soft material.

Levi closed his eyes, wondering if Eren had someone like Mr. Cuddles to hold him at night when he felt lonely.

His eyes shot opened and he immediately got out of the bed with Mr. Cuddles in hand to run downstairs to where his uncle was sitting on the couch. He jumped onto his lap, startling Kenny as he did so, and said, “I have an idea to tell Eren I’m sorry.”

“Is that so?” Kenny said.

“And I need your help,” Levi added.

Kenny raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh?”

Levi nodded and whispered into Kenny’s ears what his plan was.

Once he was done explaining, Kenny gave him an incredulous look. “I don’t mind helping since you’re my nephew and all, but it’s going to cost ya.”

“I’ll do your chores for a month.”

“Done.”

* * *

_Ding dong!_

The door shortly opened to reveal a tall man with glasses. “Oh, Levi. It’s been a while.”

Levi straightened his posture as he looked up to the man. “Good morning, Mr. Yeager. Can I come in?”

“Of course,” he said as he stepped aside, letting the black-haired boy into his house. “Have a seat.” He gestured to the couch in the living room.

Levi cautiously sat down on it while Grisha sat across from him. “What can I do for you today?” the man asked.

“Uhm, is Eren home?”

“Yes, he is. Do you need to speak with him?”

Levi nodded. “I want to apo- apologize about what happened.”

“Hm…” Grisha sat back on his seat. “I recall Eren coming back from school crying.”

Levi visibly flinched at that and Grisha softly smiled. “I’m not mad, Levi,” he said. “It’s good that you’re here to make amends, but I want you to remember to stay calm and listen. Not just with Eren, but with every person you interact with in the future. Both parties must be able to communicate with one another in order to understand their feelings. Does that make sense?”

Even though he used some big words, Levi understood the gist of what he meant. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Grisha got out of his seat and walked to the entryway and called out in a loud voice, “Eren! Someone is here to see you.”

There was a thud from above and Grisha looked over to Levi with a wink. “Your uncle told me what the plan was for today. Bring Eren back before dinner, okay young man?”

“I promise!”

Grisha chuckled at the enthusiastic response and left the area so that Eren and Levi were left alone together.

Eren skipped down the stairs but immediately stopped when he saw who was sitting in the living room. “L-Levi?”

“Eren,” Levi said as he got up. He quickly walked over to the shocked brunet and held his hands with his own. “Eren, I’m sorry about what I said and pushing you. I didn’t mean it. I was scared that someone was going to take you away and I hurt you. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” Even though he tried to stay composed, he still hiccupped in the end as he tried blinking away the tears that were forming.

Too scared to look at Eren in the eyes, he was surprised when he felt arms wrapped around him. He relaxed into the embrace when he felt Eren humming and rubbing his back up and down. “Lee, it’s okay. I forgive you. Don’t cry, okay?”

When Eren felt Levi nodding, he smiled. “I’m sorry for yelling too. I love you, Levi. I don’t want you to be sad.”

Levi stepped back so he could brush away the strands of hair covering Eren’s eyes and touched his forehead with his own. “I don’t want you to be sad either. I love you so much.”

Eren’s eyes crinkled; Levi loved seeing it because he could see happiness in those pretty green eyes, before said eyes closed when Eren leaned forward to give him a kiss. He didn’t realize how much he missed Eren’s lips on his own as he returned the kiss.

When they pulled away, Levi asked, “Eren, will you go on a date with me?”

“A date?” Eren asked with a delighted gasp. “You mean right now?”

Levi nodded and Eren squealed. “I’ll go get ready! Stay right there!”

The brunet dashed upstairs and before Levi knew it, he came back wearing a pink shirt with a red heart in the middle and red pants. Eren also wore a headband that had a big white heart on the side, and he had on the ring Levi gave to him on Christmas on his ring finger. “How do I look?” Eren asked with a spin.

“Very pretty,” Levi said. “Shall we go?” He offered his arm to the brunet (a gesture he saw countless of times from Kenny’s romance movies) and Eren giggled when he took it.

“Ah, I need to put on my winter stuff first.” But even when he said that, Eren only briefly let go of Levi before latching onto the shorter boy again once he was completely ready. “Let’s go!”

* * *

“WE’RE BUILDING A BEAR?!”

Levi couldn’t help but smile at Eren’s look of pure joy. “Yeah. You can build whatever bear you want, Eren.”

Eren jumped around happily and gave Levi a gigantic hug. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I always wanted to build one!”

“Oi, oi, tone it down a little. You’re being too loud,” Kenny said, ignoring Levi’s glare directed at him.

“Oops,” Eren giggled. “Sorry, Mr. Kenny. C’mon Levi, let’s go!”

Kenny watched with amusement as his nephew got dragged into the store by his boyfriend. “This is going to burn a hole in my wallet,” he mumbled to himself but followed the two inside anyway.

After much deliberation, Eren picked the [white bear with rainbow heart prints](http://www.buildabear.com/ProductImages/BABW_US/XL/22718x.jpg) because “It has every color and it’s cute!”

They then went to the stuffing area and Eren decided to have a mix of soft and firm because it was just like Levi. The older boy’s eye twitched when he heard his uncle howling with laughter behind him. Admittedly, though, Levi felt happy when Eren held onto the bear to test its ‘huggable-ness’ and gave it back to the store lady.

“Now, I want you to pick one of the hearts over there to give life to your bear,” she said with a smile.

Eren went to the box and took the biggest one he could find and went back to her with it in his hands.

“Good! I want you to put the heart between your hands and rub it together to warm it,” she instructed.

“Levi, do it together with me,” Eren said.

Seeing no reason to protest, Levi put his hand together with Eren’s and they rubbed the heart together.

“Good, good! Now give me a smile-” Eren grinned and Levi let out a smaller smile. “-and rub it on your cheeks so it can be happy.” Eren giggled when he felt the soft material on his cheek and Levi closed his eyes when Eren did the same thing to him.

“Onto your head for intelligence…” At this, Eren rubbed the heart really hard on Levi’s head, making Kenny laugh again.

“And whisper a wish.” Eren cupped the heart with his hand and whispered a wish so softly, even Levi couldn’t hear.

“Now seal it with a kiss!”

Eren placed the heart between him and Levi and they both kissed each side of the heart together.

“Wonderful! Time to put that beautiful heart in your bear and I’ll stitch it right up for you.”

Eren gently placed the heart inside and the lady quickly stitched up its seams and passed it to the brunet. “Here you are. Make sure to give it a nice brush and fluff at the next station, and some clothes so it won’t get cold.”

Eren clapped as he took the bear and held it close to his chest, moving onto the next station with Levi quietly trailing behind him.

Picking clothes for the bear was easier than expected since Eren got the bear the same outfit as he was wearing, laughing when he got the clothes on the bear and exclaiming that he and the bear now match.

The last station Kenny had to help them with. The man scanned the bear and entered the information he already knew, asking Eren some questions here and there until the screen prompted them to name the bear.

“What are you going to call him, Eren?”

Eren hummed in thought until his face brightened up. “Captain! His name is Captain!”

“Captain, ey?” Kenny repeated with an amused smirk.

He typed the name and sent the registration and birth certificate of Captain, the newly-named bear, to the cash register.

Kenny almost groaned when he saw the total amount, taking out his wallet and paying the cashier as Eren happily accepted his new friend. “You better be grateful for this, you little brat.”

Levi stuck his tongue at him but then was immediately attacked by hugs and kisses from Eren as gratitude.

“Tch, little man’s getting more action than I am,” Kenny grumbled.

The cashier laughed and passed him the receipt. “Thank you and enjoy your new friend. Happy Valentine’s Day!” She gave Kenny a wink and the man waited until they were out of view from the store to check the back of the receipt and grinned.

“Ew, your face is creepy,” Levi commented with Eren giggling beside him.

“Shut it,” Kenny said, too much in a good mood from the new number he just received to say much else.

They walked through the mall to the crowded food court, finding a table that was clean enough (Levi had to take out some baby wipes though), Kenny told the two kindergarteners to stay put so that he could get something for them to eat.

Eren took out Captain from his little house box and hugged him before looking at Levi. “Thank you so much again, Levi, I love him!”

“More than you love me?” Levi pouted.

Eren giggled as he leaned forward to give him a kiss. “Silly Levi.”

The paler boy grinned as he nuzzled his nose with Eren’s.

“Ah! How sweet!”

The two leaped back from each other and whipped their heads to the source of the voice. “Hange!” Eren exclaimed when he saw the familiar figure.

“Hello, my sweet munchkins!” they greeted.

“What are you doing here?” Levi asked.

“And why are you dressed like that?” Eren added, pointing to the wings they were wearing.

“Oh! I’m the mall’s cupid! I bring joy and love to everywhere I go,” they explained. “Clearly I’m not needed here since you two emit so much love already.”

They cackled when the two boys blushed and looked at each other shyly. Ah, they were too cute and fun to tease.

Hange looked at their watch and pouted. “Aw! As much I would like to stay and chat, there're more people I need to spread happiness to. Here, take some of these,” they reached into their pocket and dropped some silver wrappers onto their table. “Have fun, sweeties! Happy Valentine’s Day!” they said as they dashed off.

“Bye bye, Hange!” Eren waved off.

Levi raised a brow at their sudden departure but said nothing of it. He looked at what they left for them and blushed when he saw what it was. “They gave us kisses.”

“Huh?” Eren looked down and smiled at the chocolates. “Yay! Let’s share, Levi,” Eren suggested as he took one of the chocolate kisses and unwrapped it, placing it on Levi’s lips. “Open up~”

Levi blushed at Eren’s actions but opened his mouth anyway, letting the chocolate melt inside his mouth before it was being covered by Eren’s lips and let out a muffled sound of surprise.

The brunet let go, licking Levi’s lips with his tongue, and was about to reach for another chocolate until a loud cough interrupted them.

“Okay, lovebirds, no more of that until you’re older,” Kenny said as he placed the food down. “For now, let’s eat before heading home, alright?”

“Okay…” the two agreed, their faces red from being caught.

_‘Oh boy. Kuchel might have to make Levi move to the basement if they keep it up like this.’_

The three ate their burgers with small conversations until Levi remembered something he forgot to ask earlier.

“By the way, what did you wish for?”

Eren giggled as he leaned his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder. “It’s a secret… but, I’m sure it’ll come true soon.”

“Hm,” Levi pouted.

Glancing over to see Kenny preoccupied on his phone, Eren gave Levi a peck on his cheek. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Levi.”

Smiling, Levi kissed him back. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Eren. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Eren said as he snuggled closer.

Lost in their love-dovey world, they didn’t realize that they were being watched as Hange cooed at their adorableness.

Seeing enough, they whistled as they twirled their fake arrow around as they maneuvered through the crowded mall.

_‘Glad that they’re happy this time around.’_


	7. Splash Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drowning deep into the ocean. 
> 
> Or in Levi’s case, Eren’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHHHHHH. It's still Eren's birthday where I am! o3o HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE MOST PRECIOUS SON!!! (｡♥‿♥｡)

If someone were to ask Levi what exactly he loved about Eren, he would glare at them until they got uncomfortable from his unwavering stare and walk away. And if Eren was there, he would laugh and give Levi a kiss on his cheek and tell Levi to stop scaring people off.

What did he love about Eren? What kind of question was that? Levi loved just about everything about Eren (except for Eren’s need to be messy, but Levi didn’t mind cleaning after him).

However, if there was one thing that stood Eren above all the other kindergarteners, it would be his eyes. At a first glance, they were a vibrant green, but just calling them “green” would be an understatement. Sometimes, Eren’s eyes would turn blue depending on the light and sometimes a mixture in between the two colors. To Levi, Eren’s eyes were fascinating and he struggled to find the right crayon color whenever he wanted to draw Eren. But since he has the pleasure of being Eren’s boyfriend, he could stare as much as he wanted to.

Which was what he was doing right now.

“Are we having a staring contest?”

“No.”

“Then why are you staring at me?”

“Because your eyes are pretty.”

Said eyes crinkled when Eren grinned at the compliment. It always took Levi’s breath away when Eren smiled at him. Eren was literally a ball of sunshine and he makes Levi happy when his skies were grey.

They were on the bed together, a few minutes away from closing their eyes and going to sleep.

The brunet took Levi’s hands and threaded his fingers with Levi’s, giving their interlocked hands a squeeze. “Thank you, Levi. I think you’re pretty too.”

Levi turned to the side of his pillow and coughed. Why was Eren so cute?

The paler boy’s flustered state only made Eren’s smile grow. Coughing again, Levi tried to divert Eren’s attention onto something else. “Hey, Eren?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you excited to go to the aquarium tomorrow?”

Eren unintentionally squeezed harder at that, making Levi wince a bit, but didn’t say anything to let go. Levi looked up and bit his lips.

Ah, Eren’s eyes turned brighter at the mention of going to see the sea creatures.

“YES!” Eren exclaimed. “It’s going to be so much fun, Levi! We’re going to see all the different kinds of fish, and turtles, and the ba… baloonsa?”

“Beluga.”

“Yeah, beluga! And we’re going to see the beluga whales too!” Eren corrected himself with a little giggle. “Mom said we’re going to see the dolphins do tricks and if we’re lucky, we’ll get splashed by them too!”

Levi pursed his lips at the thought of getting drenched by salt water but then sighed and gave Eren a little smile of his own. “It’s going to be fun.”

“Uh huh! Armin and Mikki will be there too! We’re going to have so much fun!”

Eren’s good mood was contagious and Levi couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

_Knock knock._

The two turned to look at Carla poking her head through the door, giving them a look. “Boys, why aren’t you sleeping yet?”

“We’re talking about the aquarium, Mom. Why can’t we go yet?”

“Because it’s really late and it’s closed. The faster you two sleep, the faster we will go when you wake up, okay?”

“Fine,” Eren grumbled under his breath.

“Good,” the woman smiled. “Good night and sweet dreams you two.”

“Night,” they said after she turned off the lights and closed the door.

Eren snuggled into his pillow and gave Levi one last squeeze before letting go of their hands. “Good night, Levi.”

“Good night, Eren.”

Levi waited a few more seconds after Eren closed his eyes and followed shortly. The last thing he saw was Eren’s sleeping face before he started thinking about the blues and greens of the ocean.

* * *

“Eren, slow down.”

Mikasa’s warning fell on deaf ears because Eren continued running towards the entrance and was shouting gleefully as he got closer.

The little girl sighed at her friend’s antics and Levi awkwardly patted her back. “I know how it is, cuz.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath about stupid idiots in love. Armin chuckled nervously as he looked between the two Ackermans and took each of their hands to pull them forward. “Come on, we should go. If we don’t, Eren might get lost and be away from us.”

That grabbed their attention since _they_ were now the ones who were pulling Armin along with them as they tried to catch up to Eren.

“Oh my,” Kuchel said as she watched the little kids run in a group to go stand in line. “Today’s going to be a long day, wouldn’t you say so Carla?”

The other woman fondly shook her head as she walked beside her companion. “With Eren, every day is a long day with his limitless supply of energy.”

“Is that why you told me to wear sneakers instead?”

“Yes. Aren’t you glad that I did?”

Kuchel laughed as she looped her arm with Carla’s. “Glad indeed. Now, let’s go before my boy bites off anyone that gets near your boy within a two-meter radius.”

“It would a great story to tell him when he gets older, though.”

Kuchel smirked. “It would.”

* * *

“Levi! Levi! Look!”

Levi didn’t even get a chance to look before he was dragged by his boyfriend to another glass display with more sea creatures. “What am I looking at?” he looked around and just saw the same tropical fish from the other window.

“Shh!” Eren brought a finger to his lips and hushed him. “Wait.”

Levi huffed as he watched the fish slowly swim around until something moved from the corner of his eye which made him jump from surprise. “What is that?”

Eren giggled and Levi walked up closer to the glass and the bottom, which he thought was sand, turned into an octopus and changed color right before him and shuffled away. Levi gasped and turned to Eren with a big smile on his face. “Did you see that?!”

“I did! It’s super cool!” Eren felt proud that he had shown Levi something that made him smile like that.

“Oh, that was a cephalopod. It’s a type of octopus that can change color,” Armin said as he approached them. “They’re really good at camouflage and can change color faster than a chameleon.”

At their slow blink, he clarified, “I read it on the wall over there.”

The couple nodded, not disagreeing with him in the slightest. He was the smartest kid in the class after all; he was able to read and say more complicated words than anyone else.

Levi continued watching the different kinds of fish while Armin tried to explain to Eren the other species that were in the tanks. He felt a hand brush over his and he looked to see Eren grinning at him, making his breath hitch when he noticed how beautiful Eren’s eyes were.

Of course Eren’s eyes matched the water around them, why didn’t he notice it earlier? If they were at a beach, Eren’s eyes would be the ocean since there was so much life in them. The dim lights of the aquarium just added to the calm and mysterious effect Eren’s eyes had on Levi, and the brunet didn’t even realize that he trapped Levi with his gaze alone.

There was an audible sigh near them and before they could even find the source of the sound, both Eren and Levi felt a hand push the back of their heads forward, their lips and teeth colliding against each other. The boys winced from the pain and they forcibly slapped the hand away, covering their mouths with their hands.

“Mikasa!” Armin hissed as he looked to make sure his friends were okay. “Why did you do that?”

“They look like they wanted to kiss so I helped them,” she explained.

“You push too hard,” Levi said as he wiped the blood from his split lip. He watched Eren scrunch his nose as Armin tried to clean the wound.

“Sorry,” she apologized.

Levi nodded when he heard how genuinely sorry she was. “It’s okay.”

“Goodness, what happened here? We take our eyes off of you for two seconds and this happens.” Carla rushed over to Eren and took a look over his face.

“I’m okay, Mom,” Eren tried to reassure her.

Carla was done with her inspection when she finally let go of Eren’s face and lightly patted his cheeks. “You attract all sorts of trouble, don’t you?”

Eren stuck his tongue out at her but flinched when his action caused his lips to split more, making it seem as though he was pouting.

Carla chuckled and brushed Eren’s hair before patting down his unruly locks. “How about we see the dolphin show to cheer you up?”

That definitely brightened Eren’s spirit because he was dashing off again towards the exit.

“Eren, wait!” his friends called to him before following.

Kuchel only laughed when Carla let out an exasperated groan.

* * *

_SPLASH!_

The whole crowd cheered and the kids squealed when the water splashed onto them, making them completely drenched as the audience applauded the whale’s impressive jump.

“Thank you for joining us today everyone! Unfortunately, this is the last show of the day, but please check the schedule for our other events. We hope to see you all again soon and we wish that you enjoy the rest of what the aquarium has to offer. Have a great day!”

There was more clapping after the announcer’s speech and there was a lot of murmuring as people tried to leave the area.

The kids got up as well, taking off the complimentary ponchos the aquarium staff gave them for sitting in the front row of the splash zone. Levi felt his skin start drying up from the salty water and he had the strong need to head back home to take a shower right now; however, he ignored his urges and passed his rain jacket thing to his maman. “What are we doing next?”

“Well, as my birthday gift to Eren, I thought we could meet some dolphins. What do you say?”

The kids cheered in unison (Eren was especially loud) as they walked out of the area and into a different one that was sectioned off. The staff greeted them and led the group to walk on the stage where they were watching the show.

The performers they saw earlier were right in front of them and waved the kids to come over; they whistled when the group got close enough and a dolphin emerged from the water.

Eren, like the excited and energetic boy that he was, was the first to go up to the dolphin and gently pet the snout – rostrum, Armin corrected – and cooed as he gently stroked it.

One by one, the kids had a turn petting the smooth, rubbery texture of the dolphin as the performer explained to them about the history of the dolphin and where it came from. The dolphin went back into the water and then a different one emerged, spraying water at the kids which made them shriek from the sudden surprise.

They eventually met all the other creatures that performed for the show and even got to throw the ball so that the seal balanced it on its nose before returning it to them. Needless to say, they were overjoyed and happy. They unanimously moaned when Carla and Kuchel told them that it was time to leave. The sea creatures emerged from the water after a sound from one of the performers and each one made their own call as the kids waved at them while leaving the stage.

Eren bounced around as they walked through the entryway to the stage and hopped along right next to Levi. “That was **so** cool!”

Levi only nodded as Eren continued rambling about the amazing tricks and how he wanted to see them again soon. He watched the light hit Eren’s eyes, making them change color right before him. He let out a little smile as he continued to listen to Eren. While Eren’s words weren’t exactly registering in his mind, Levi just enjoyed listening to the other boy’s voice and nodded whenever Eren ended off with “Right, Levi?”

He ignored the cooing from their parents as Carla mentioned how adorable they were and asked Kuchel to send her the photo that she apparently took while their sons weren’t looking.

Levi sighed. Adults were weird.

The group was almost near the exit, but then Mikasa stopped in her tracks and pointed at a store. “Can we go to the gift store before we go?” she asked.

“Of course,” Kuchel answered and then raised a brow at her son. “I do believe we need some _gifts_ , don’t you agree, mon petit chou?”

Levi’s eyes widened, remembering his advance allowance money that he asked for a few days ago. It was still in his pocket and he hadn’t bought a gift for Eren yet.

And as not-so-subtly as possible, he walked faster on the path that led into the gift store with Eren skipping beside him. “What’s the hurry, Lee?”

Oh, shoot. He couldn’t get Eren’s birthday present when said birthday boy was right next to him.

Quick on his feet, he dashed away and hid behind a shelf, hearing Eren’s little footsteps go by him. He spotted Mikasa and Armin entering the store and he ran up to them. “Can you distract Eren while I go buy his gift? It’s a surprise.”

The two kids nodded and headed over to the sound of Eren calling out Levi’s name, trying to find his boyfriend in the store. Levi hid behind another shelf and made sure he was out of Eren’s sight as he tried to find a gift for him.

He walked by all the colorful plush toys on display (as much as he wanted Eren to be surrounded with stuffed animals, he wanted to get something not as predictable) and realistic figurines and clothing. Levi pursed his lips as he looked around the store whilst still avoiding Eren, wondering what would be the perfect gift for his energetic boyfriend.

He stopped when he saw some bath toys on the shelf. They were an assortment of different aquatic creatures they saw today: a crab, whale, dolphin, turtle, and octopus, in different colors. Picking it up, he imagined Eren’s gleeful face when he receives his new friends for the tub. The bright boy would probably give Levi a kiss as thanks too.

With that in mind, he found his maman and showed her the gift he wanted to get for Eren. She was with Carla when he found her and both women chuckled. Carla agreed about his gift decision and feeling confident with her approval, Levi went to the cash register to pay for it (his maman had to come to his rescue when he wasn’t exactly sure how to count his change and couldn’t even reach over to give the money to the cashier).

They eventually found Eren, Armin, and Mikasa, who each found something they wanted to buy. When asked where he went and what he bought, Levi said it was a secret, making the birthday boy pout. It only made him more curious about what was in the bag Levi was holding.

After dropping Armin and Mikasa back at their homes, Carla and Eren’s house was the last stop. Once Kuchel parked the car, Carla thanked her for driving before getting out. “Eren?”

“Wait.” Levi held out the bag to Eren just as he was about to leave. “Happy Birthday, Eren. This is for you.”

“Really?” At his boyfriend’s nod, Eren’s smile grew wider, squealing when he saw the little toys inside. “This is so cool! Now I can play with my new ocean friends in the tub!”

As expected, Eren leaned forward and planted a kiss on Levi’s lips. “Thank you!”

And then Levi was sprayed with water.

“Eren!” Carla yelled.

“Uh oh. Gotta go. Bye bye, Levi. Thank you for the gift but no more secrets okay?” Eren gave Levi one more kiss before getting out of the car and immediately ran to the house, laughing on his way inside.

Carla sighed and leaned into the car door, giving Levi an apologetic look. “Sorry about that, sweetie. I knew I shouldn’t have got him that water gun.”

Levi shook his head, water dripping down his face. “It’s okay, Mrs. Yeager. Eren’s silly but I still love him anyway.”

Carla nodded at that and gave the Ackermans one final farewell before heading into the house as well.

“You okay, Levi?” Kuchel asked as she started driving their way back home.

“Yeah,” he said, wiping off the water with a handkerchief.

He stared out the window and saw the skies turn into different colors as the sun set. Watching the different colors meld together reminded him of Eren which made him grin.

Levi loved many things about Eren.

However, Eren’s smile was what Levi loved the most.


	8. Pinches and Laughter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mothers being mothers by teasing their sons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother's Day! :D 
> 
> (IT'S STILL MOTHER'S DAY WHERE I LIVE SO SHHH!!!)

Ms. Ral clapped her hands twice loudly to get her class’s attention. “Everyone, go back to your tables, please. We’re going to be doing something very special for Mother’s Day.”

The children dropped whatever activity they were doing and rushed to their tables that were already prepared with an assortment of art supplies. Eren clapped with glee when he saw all the bright colors. He reached out to grab the glitter glue in the center, but Levi quickly reached for his hand.

“No, Eren,” Levi gently scolded, “Ms. Ral didn’t say we can start yet.”

Eren pouted and Levi pinched a cheek. “Nuh uh. Not this time, Eren.”

The brunet blew a raspberry at him and crossed his arms. “Fine,” he mumbled.

Levi sighed but pecked Eren’s cheek to make it up to him, grinning when Eren giggled.

“Okay, settle down. As you can see, each table has a lot of different colors of paper and fuzzy stems. So what we’re going to do is make cards and flowers for your mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and other women who are important in your life. We’ll be doing something similar to this next month for Father’s Day.” Looking around to see everyone paying attention, Ms. Ral beamed. “Let’s get started.”

“Hey, Levi, do you think my mom would like this?” Eren asked as he held a sheet of purple and a sheet of red paper.

The little boy hummed in thought before grabbing the green, yellow, and blue paper. “How about this? They remind me of you.”

“Oh, that’s pretty!” Similarly to what Levi just did, Eren took black, white, and red paper and placed it in front of Levi. “And this is you, Levi.”

The black-haired boy smiled at the stark contrast of colors together. He couldn’t help but be reminded of the first time he met Eren, with his white shirt and spilled juice. “Thanks.”

With enthusiasm (Eren) and calmness (Levi), the two worked on drawing flowers and cutting the paper, Levi making sure Eren didn’t accidentally cut himself during the process. They had a little sword fight with the fuzzy stems (but Ms. Ral made them stop), and they finally glued the paper vase together to hold the flowers they created. Of course, Eren added extra glitter to his flowers and Levi helped him clean the table from all the little sparkles.

“They’re so pretty! I can’t wait to give it to Mom tomorrow!” Eren said as he proudly waved around his finished flowers.

Levi silently nodded, admiring his own work as well. Arts and crafts were never his thing, but he made sure to be extra careful when he was making his flowers. It was going to be given to Maman after all, and she deserved the best for being great.

“Hey, Levi, what are you and your maman going to bring to the picnic?”

“Some croissant sandwiches, fruits, and juice. How about you and your mom? Is Mrs. Yeager going to make cookies again?” Levi asked with a hopeful tone. Something about Mrs. Yeager’s chocolate chip cookies made them magical and delicious and Levi always asked about them whenever he was over at Eren’s house.

“Of course Mom is, and I’ll be helping her too! We’re also going to bring fried potatoes and bratwurst.”

“Did you call me a brat?”

Eren laughed out loud at Levi’s indignant look. “No, silly. It’s a sausage and it’s really yummy.”

“Hm,” was all Levi managed to reply. He wasn’t exactly convinced, but he was curious enough to try. And if Eren said it was good, then he could trust the other boy’s judgment.

Eren managed to wrap his arms around Levi (they had done this countless of times in class before, so this wasn’t a new occurrence for their fellow classmates) and spun them around. “Yay! I can’t wait to feed you again!”

“H-hey!” Levi’s protesting, whether it was about being spun around or being fed again, was lost as he stared at Eren’s laughing face. Levi’s heart was doing the skipping thing again and he sighed. He wrapped his arms around Eren, joining in on the spinning and making Eren squeal.

They were so into their own world, they didn’t notice their teacher approaching them. “Boys, please settle down. We don’t want to have another incident like last time, do we?”

Levi immediately lets go of him and Ms. Ral laughed at his abruptness while Eren was slightly spinning by himself. “Okay you two, we just need to finish the cards and you’ll be ready for Mother’s Day.”

The boys looked at each other, then looked up at her and nodded. “Yes, Ms. Ral!”

* * *

It was another beautiful day and Levi and his maman were walking through the park carrying bags of food. Levi insisted that he should carry everything since it was Mother’s Day, but after seeing her tiny son almost topple over from the weight, they made an agreement that Levi would carry the food while Kuchel would hold onto the juice and water.

They passed by many families who were enjoying their own picnics and dodging any dogs that were running around. They walked around the lake and finally spotted Eren and his mom under a large tree in the shade. The moment Eren saw them, he quickly got up and ran towards them at full speed, making Levi panic. He didn’t want to drop his things but he also didn’t want to disappoint Eren for not returning the hug.

As though she read his mind, his maman stepped in front of him, making Eren latch onto her leg instead.

Eren looked up with an adorably confused look. “You’re not Levi.”

Kuchel chuckled. “Hello to you too, Eren.”

Finally registering who he was holding, his confusion turned into a happy expression. “Oh! Hi, Ms. Ackerman! Happy Mother’s Day! Where’s Levi?”

Kuchel turned slightly and gave her son a wink. Levi smiled at her, grateful for the angel that was his maman saving him from his dilemma. “Right behind me. Eren, can you please help Levi carry some of the food? I’m afraid that his arms will get sore.” She paused and gave her son a look before her lips fought to not smirk. “Maybe even too sore to eat properly. Oh, but you can help my dearest Levi eat, wouldn’t you, Eren?”

On second thought, she was the devil, just like Uncle Kenny.

“Yes!” Eren lets go of his hold on her leg and went passed her to grab the other handle of the bag of food, literally lightening Levi’s load. “Quickly, Levi! I want to eat now.”

“E-Eren!” Levi yelped when Eren started running, trying to follow after the energetic boy. He turned to glare at his maman, frowning when he saw she was laughing.

“Mom! I have Levi!” the brunet exclaimed as they reached the picnic area that was already set out.

Carla chuckled as she gestured the boys to pass the bag to her. “I can see that. Good afternoon, Levi. How are you today?”

“I’m good, thank you. Happy Mother’s Day Mrs. Yeager.”

“Thank you, Levi. Kuchel, you have such a wonderful son,” Carla said as the other woman approached their area.

“And I can say the same to you, Carla. Eren brings so much joy whenever he comes over and he brings a smile to mon petit chou’s face.” Kuchel reached and pinched Levi’s cheek, laughing again when he swatted her hand away in embarrassment.

“Maman!” Levi pouted from being treated like a child and almost jumped when Eren surprised him with a kiss on his cheek.

“No sad faces. It’s food time now,” Eren proclaimed.

After more laughter from the women, they properly set out everything they would need and finally started eating. Kuchel and Carla were enjoying the sight of their sons being lovey-dovey with each other, taking pictures on their cellphones as Eren fed Levi the bratwurst.

“Is it good? It’s good, isn’t it?” Eren asked with hopeful eyes.

Levi chewed methodically and nodded in agreement. “Yummy.”

Eren gave him a wide grin and tried feeding Levi more. “Open wide,” he sang.

The paler boy huffed but did as he was told, knowing that if he didn’t, Eren would make airplane sounds until he did.

After watching the boys attempting to throw grapes into the other’s mouth, Kuchel leaned closer to Carla and asked, “Did Eren give you flowers as well?”

Carla smiled fondly. “Yes, and he said that Levi picked the colors for him.”

“Eren did the same for Levi.” Kuchel nodded and smiled. “They’re adorable aren’t they?”

Carla gave her a wink. “The cutest kids we could ever ask for.” Peering over Kuchel’s shoulder, she saw a bed of flowers. “Hey, have you ever made flower crowns as a kid?”

The Ackerman woman shook her head. “No, why?”

Reaching behind Kuchel, Carla picked some daisies and placed it between them. “Well, anytime is a good time to learn how to, right?”

Curious, Kuchel picked up a daisy and tried to follow Carla’s fluid movement of weaving the stems together. They were silently working on the flowers, Carla pointing out different tips and helping Kuchel here and there, and when then felt tiny bodies against their backs.

“What’re you doing?” Eren asked as he wrapped his arms around his mom’s neck. Levi peeked over his maman’s shoulder and hummed.

Carla did one more twist and grinned. “There.” She reached behind and ruffled Eren’s hair before placing the little flower crown on his head. “Perfect.” Her eyes twinkled when Eren gasped in astonishment before squeezing her as thanks. “Eren, can’t breathe.” Though, she wasn’t serious, just happy that her son was smiling.

Kuchel turned slightly and presented a flower crown to Levi as well, giving him a sheepish look. “It’s not perfect, but it’s my first one. Would you like to wear it, Levi?”

Levi nodded, proud to be the first one to wear his maman’s flower crown, and ducked his head for her. He lifted his head and hid behind her shoulder when she gave him a smile.

“Aw, are you going shy on me now?” She tried to turn around but he continued to hide behind her. Chuckling, she managed to snatch him in her arms and placed him on her lap. She held him tight and nuzzled the top of his head, making sure not to jostle the crown off. “You’re cute.”

The two Yeagers who were sitting across from them laughed when Levi’s face turned red from his maman praising him. Eren finally lets go of his hold on his mom but decided to sit on her lap and leaned back on her. “Your maman’s right, Levi. You’re very cute.”

Levi covered his face with his hands and whined.

Carla giggled and reached over to gently push his hands down to reveal his flushed face. “Please don’t hide your face, sweetie.” She grinned when he averted her eyes. She lightly pinched his cheek and said, “Oh, I would love it if you were my son for a day. How about it, Kuchel? You get to have Eren and I get to have Levi.”

Hearing her playful tone of voice, Kuchel smirked. “I wouldn’t mind. I’m sure Eren would smile enough for Levi.”

“No!”

Carla and Kuchel winked at each other when their sons were burying their faces in their necks.

“I don’t want to leave, Mom!”

“Maman, I’m sorry. I promise to smile more so please don’t give me away.”

The boys were close to crying but their mothers calmed them down with back rubs and kisses on the forehead.

“Oh, don’t be silly, Eren,” Carla said with mirth, laughing when he weakly smacked her in the chest in retaliation.

“We were just playing around, Levi. There’s no way I would give you away.” Kuchel kissed Levi’s forehead again and brushed away the stray hairs to see his eyes better. “I love you the most, mon petit chou, don’t forget that.”

“Hm,” Levi mumbled, still a little mad at his maman’s teasing. He leaned closer to her and kissed her cheek. “I love you too.”

Kuchel hugged him tightly. While she knew Levi loved her, he was always quite shy in expressing his feelings compared to Eren. Maybe that was why they were drawn to each other. The little ray of sunshine always brought out the best in Levi and Levi in turn helped Eren be more grounded. “I do want Eren to be my son, though,” Kuchel added as an afterthought.

Carla laughed at the comment. “Kuchel, they’re both going to get married, or so what Eren has told me anyway. We’ll both have each other’s son as son-in-laws in the future, no?”

“Yes! Levi promised me that we’ll get married when we’re older and that means Mom will be Levi’s mom, and Levi’s maman will be my maman too.” Eren clapped his hands in excitement, all smiles and bright eyes.

“Oh, is that right?” The amused tone was back again in his maman’s voice again and Levi reached to hold Eren’s hand.

“Uh huh. Is that okay, Maman?”

“Of course. Whatever makes you happy, mon petit chou.”

“Good.” Levi leaned forward and surprised everyone by giving Eren a kiss.

“Levi!” Eren exclaimed happily before he kissed him back; the two giggled when they pulled away.

“Oh my,” the women said in unison.

Looking up to see her smiling face, Kuchel added, “It looks like we’re going to be in-laws in the future, Carla.”

Carla tickled Eren’s sides before tickling Levi as well. With a laugh, she replied, “It seems so, Kuchel. I look forward to it.”

Both boys grinned, happy that their mothers were good friends with each other and supported their engagement.

“Happy Mother’s Day!” they both said, smiling brightly when the two most important women in their lives laughed.

Carla and Kuchel gave their respective sons a kiss as thanks, happy that their day was spent with friends and with the bundles of joy that brought them immense happiness the day they were born.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The women of SnK are amazing and deserve more love. ♥♥♥


	9. Beach Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No dad jokes here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Father's Day! :D

“All ready to go yet, kiddo?”

Levi wrinkled his nose as his face set into a scowl. “I’ve been ready for the past 10 minutes, Uncle Kenny, but you wanted to finish watching your stupid show.” His arms crossed in front of his chest and his legs swung back and forth from his side of the couch.

Kenny leaned over and quickly swiped the back of Levi’s head, chuckling when the boy yelped. “You know I’ve never missed an episode of _Military Hearts_.”

“I don’t know why you watch the stupid show anyway. And Marlowe is stupid for not seeing that Hitch likes him. Why doesn’t she just tell him that she was the childhood friend that he saved a long time ago?”

“It’s complicated,” Kenny shrugged. “Besides, where’s the fun if she just tells him it was her? I live for the drama, the heartbreak, the betrayal, and the tiny bits of hope that they will have their happily ever after.”

Levi just gave the man a blank look, one that he makes whenever his uncle rambled about his romantic comedy and drama shows. Hopping off the couch, he kicked Kenny’s feet on his way out of the living room and stood by the front door. “Can we go now?”

His patience was finally rewarded when his uncle walked up to him with bags slung over his shoulders and keys in hand.

“Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

“We’re here!” Green eyes sparkled in excitement. “Race you to the water!”

Eren started to make a break for it, but both Levi and Mikasa held him back.

“Eren, you have to be careful, okay? The sand is really hot,” Mikasa chided.

“And you need to wear sunscreen or else you’ll get a sunburn,” Levi added on the other side.

Eren pouted and Armin giggled along with the adults chuckling in the back.

“Both Mikasa and Levi are right, Eren,” Grisha said as he patted his son’s head. “We also need to find a spot to settle down before you go off into the water so you know where we are in case something happens.”

“Like what?” Eren asked.

“Like a shark preying on little children. Snapping their jaws and- ow!’

“Don’t tell him that,” Levi hissed at his uncle, frowning when he heard his boyfriend sniffle.

“Sharks don’t live near here, remember? They live in big oceans and even then, it’s rare for them to be near land with humans around,” Armin explained.

Eren nodded slowly. “You’re right…” His eyes were downcast. “It would be cool to see one in real life, though,” he mumbled.

“When you’re older.” With one final pat on Eren’s head, Grisha led the group near the waters of the beach, but close enough to the washrooms and food shacks.

Mikasa’s father helped Grisha with the umbrellas, Armin’s grandfather arranged the towels, and Kenny folded down the chairs while the kids helped each other put sunscreen on each other, giggling when it turned into a tickle fight.

With everyone settled with their location, the kids ran off to the waters with Grisha and Kenny following them to supervise. Eren dove straight into the water but floated back onto the surface due to his little arm floaties. Armin followed behind, but with less energetic enthusiasm Eren demonstrated, and calmly walked into the cold water with his inner tube water ring that was shaped like a duck. And finally, the Ackerman cousins laid flat on their kickboards and paddled towards Eren who was jumping up and down in the water, creating little waves, smiling when Levi reached him and held his hand.

“Careful, Eren, you might fall,” Levi warned.

“You’re silly. The floaties will protect me.” A quick peck on Levi’s cheek to reassure him. “See, watch me.” Letting go of his boyfriend’s grasp, he flopped backward with his arm stretched out, water splashed around him but he stayed afloat, giving Levi a huge grin.

The black-haired boy rolled his eyes but waddled his way to Eren, lightly flicking the surface of the water so that it landed on Eren’s face. His mouth curved into a smile when Eren scrunched up his face adorably before sticking his tongue out at Levi. The paler of the two simply floated next to Eren as did Mikasa and Armin, the group talking about what activities they should do while they were at the beach.

“Ah, this is so tiring,” Kenny complained, still keeping an eye out for the kids. “I could go for a drink right now.”

“I wouldn’t recommend drinking so early in the day. Also, considering we haven’t really eaten something substantial yet, it wouldn’t be the wisest decision since we’re supposed to be watching over the children,” Grisha said in a flat tone.

“Yeah, yeah. No need to worry doc.” Sometimes it was awkward talking with the stoic man. Grisha mostly kept to himself and wasn’t much of a joker either, but that might be because of his profession that he behaved that way.

“This might be impolite, but may I ask you something?”

“Hm?”

Grisha paused, looking in particular at Eren and Levi having a splash fight before asking, “What happened to Levi’s father?”

The Ackerman sighed. “He passed away before Levi was born,” he simply said, “Kuchel was pregnant when he was stationed in another country and was devastated when she heard that he died from a planned attack.” Kenny kicked the sand. “I stayed with my sister throughout her pregnancy and grief, had her move in with me and all that. Our half-brother, Mikasa’s father, visited from time to time to help out as well since we were in the next city over. It was kind of lucky that our sis-in-law got pregnant around the same time so she and Kuchel bonded quite a bit.

“I went to those pregnancy classes with sis so that we would be prepared when the time comes. It was really damn awkward when couples would chat up with us, but it was okay I guess. Levi had to be a brat even on Christmas day. It was hell going through the blizzard while your sister was in pain, but it was even worse when you’re just in the waiting room and hoping that your family was fine in there.”

Kenny blinked when he realized he said more than he normally would have, but he was encouraged by Grisha silence and nodding along, probably a habit from listening to so many patients every day. Scratching his cheek he added, “Well, whatever. The little runt can be a pain sometimes but I’m glad I stuck around to see him go from a weird, alien-looking creature to a regular kid with a strange habit of cleaning everything.”

Grisha gave the Ackerman a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring smile. “Your family is lucky to have you with them.”

Kenny’s eyes went over to a laughing and smiling Levi who was racing against Mikasa with their kickboards. He remembered all the times he took Levi to the pool and taught the boy how to swim and it showed.

His mouth curled into a smile when Levi won their little race and Eren giving him a congratulatory kiss on the cheek. “Heh. It’s more like I’m the lucky one, Grisha.”

* * *

“Hey, what do you think my dad and your uncle are talking about?”

Levi lifted his head towards the older male’s general direction and shrugged. “I dunno. Does your dad like dramas? Because that is what Uncle Kenny talks about all the time.”

Eren shook his head. “I don’t think so? Dad doesn’t really have time to watch a lot of TV because he’s busy. I’m glad he came today, though.” The brunet kicked around in the water to stay afloat. “Hey, Levi? Where’s your dad?” It was a question he wanted to ask before but always forgot.

“Mom said that he passed away,” Levi said. “I never met him before.”

“Oh.” Eren’s mouth set into a little frown.

“Is that weird?”

“No,” Eren shook his head, “Every family is different. Armin only has his grandpa, and Mikasa has her mom and dad but she also has you. I just thought you might be sad, that’s all.”

“Thank you, Eren, but I’m not sad. I have you in my family too, right?”

“Right! We’re going to get married when we’re older so our family will be bigger!”

Levi smiled at the exclamation and swam around in circles around Eren, laughing as he dodged every attempt the other boy tried to grab him. Eren did manage to grab Levi’s board, but it slipped from both of their hands and flew up in the air. When it landed a few feet away from them, they realized that they swam further than what was agreed upon by the adults.

Levi rapidly moved his arms and legs to start swimming back to shore with Eren, but a motorboat jetted across the water near them and created ripples that were too strong for Levi to stay afloat on. The black-haired boy panicked when water splashed into his face and he was coughing the water back out. He distantly heard Eren call out to him but his leg cramped up and he gasped from the pain just as another wave hit him and sent him underwater.

The water that surrounded him muffled any noise above the surface. Levi tried to hold his breath, but his lungs were trying to cough out any remaining water from before. His leg was still in pain and he never felt more scared and hopeless in his life. It was cold, but he felt hot tears spill from his eyes that blended with the water suffocating him. His lungs were burning and Levi didn’t know what to do.

There was a distant sound of a splash and then strong, familiar arms wrapped around him and he was being lifted. He gasped when he broke out from the water, coughing and spitting out any of the residue water. He was pulled into a stronghold and Levi barely made out what was going on, feeling the water whiz by as he got further away from the water and the other people at the beach swimming.

He felt a sudden shift from swimming to being carried on land. Wiping his eyes, he twisted his head to see a serious look on his uncle’s face.

Levi’s eyes drooped down and let exhaustion take over, knowing that he was safe.

Uncle Kenny saved him.

* * *

Levi winced when he felt something cold on his forehead, slowly opening his eyes to worried faces around him.

“Ah, he’s alive,” Kenny commented.

“Levi!” his friends wept, Eren especially. His boyfriend clung onto him and cried into his shoulder.

Levi automatically wrapped his arms around Eren, shushing the brunet. “Don’t cry, I’m okay.”

“Are you feeling well? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Grisha asked.

The boy shook his head and Grisha helped Levi sit up straight. “Sit like this for a bit just to get some blood circulating. We didn’t need to perform any CPR, but please let me know if you feel dizzy or ill at any point, alright?”

“Yes, Mr. Yeager.”

“Good.”

Levi was offered some food and water, making Eren loosen his hold to allow Levi to eat while the rest of the group ate their late lunch as well.

The moment the adults started having their own conversations, Levi asked, “What happened?”

Eren sniffled in his ear, but Armin was the one who spoke up. “You guys were slowly swimming away from shore and a boat went by and created waves which sunk you underwater. Eren yelled out for you and your uncle ran into the water to save you.”

“I’ve never seen Uncle Kenny move that fast. He was even faster than the lifeguard,” Mikasa added.

“How far away was I?”

“Pretty far,” Armin answered, “You were more than halfway from the beach and the restriction line.”

Levi didn’t ask anything beyond that and continued eating his food, holding Eren with one arm. The brunet seemed unusually clingy but it was probably because he just witnessed his boyfriend go underwater and didn’t come back up. He rubbed little circles on Eren’s back and leaned his head on Eren’s. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine now.”

Eren seemed calmer than he was before, pulling away enough so that he could look at Levi’s face. “I was so scared, Lee. I thought you were gone.”

The apparent sad look on Eren’s face made Levi grip onto Eren tighter. “I’m always here, Eren. I was just underwater to see if I could find a shark and fight it so it doesn’t eat you.”

That managed to make Eren crack a smile and Levi mirrored the action. “Let’s finish eating, okay? Then we can go build sandcastles before we go to the barbecue dinner our moms are doing.”

“Okay!”

Mikasa’s father and Armin’s grandfather watched over the kids when they were building their sandcastles, taking pictures when they dug out ‘Happy Father’s Day’ in the sand. Levi kept on looking over to where his uncle was in the shade, napping most likely, and felt something that was a mixture of gratefulness, sadness, and guilt.

“Levi? You okay?”

“I didn’t thank Uncle Kenny for saving me.” Levi frowned, briefly wondering how mad his maman would be for forgetting his manners.

“Oh! Maybe you can get him a pretty shell like we used for the sandcastles as a thank you gift.”

Levi nodded at Eren’s suggestion. “That sounds nice. Will you help me find a pretty one?”

Eren beamed and held Levi’s hand, trekking through the wet sand as they walked along the beach to find Kenny a gift. Mikasa and Armin joined them after a few minutes and the whole group searched for the best shells they could find.

It was another hour until the adults called for them to pack up and get ready to leave. Levi gripped onto the shell in his enclosed fist as they made their way back and pulled on his uncle’s shorts. “Um…”

“Hm? What is it, sport?”

Levi held out his fist and dropped the shell onto Kenny’s palm when the man offered it to him. “This is thanks for saving me.” His eyes darted down and his cheeks were flushed. “And I know you’re not my dad, but… Happy Father’s Day, Uncle Kenny. You’re not so bad to be around with, I guess.”

Kenny blinked at the spiral of the hermit shell in his palm and his nephew acting shy. He chuckled as he patted Levi’s head with his other hand. “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself, kiddo.”

Levi stuck out his tongue before smiling, holding Kenny’s hand as they walked to their car.

“Hey, Grisha. You up for a drink?” Kenny asked just before they got into their respective vehicles.

“I guess I can go for one this time,” the other man said with a smile. “I also have _Military Hearts_ on demand if you’re interested in watching.”

Levi groaned in exasperation but the other Ackerman didn’t comment on it, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of having someone to discuss with about the show. “That sounds great.”

“See you later! And Happy Father’s Day, Mr. Kenny!” Eren called from his window.

“We’re going to see each other in 20 minutes, but thanks, future nephew-in-law. See ya soon.”

Kenny got in the car with Levi buckled in the back and drove back to their home where the barbecue was being held. Five minutes into the road, Kenny checked his rear view mirror to see that Levi was already asleep. Smiling, he shifted in his seat, his eyes still on the road, as he took out the shell from his pocket. He fondly looked at the shell that might have been a home to a hermit crab before it grew out of it, chuckling at the memory of his endearing nephew when it was presented to him. Putting it back away, he whistled a nonsensical tune, trying not to think of the scolding he would get from Kuchel once she caught wind of him for taking his eyes off Levi.

Oh well. Happy Father’s Day to all, he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually based on a true story. My family and I went to a beach when I was around 5, and my little sister, in her floatie, slowly drifted away from the shore and my dad ran from the beach to go save her. ^^


	10. Disney-ception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The little ones meet some people who look very… familiar to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 10000% self-indulgent. OTL So if you're familiar with COMH, you should have a giggle here. (But if you're not, here's a [lengthy, dork-filled fic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4194519/chapters/9474543) for ya~ *shameless plug*) 
> 
> But honestly, I think you can read this as-is and it should still be fine. ^O^

Crowds of children and adults have gathered around near the central area. Eren managed to push his way through the throngs of people and gasped when he saw the iconic castle in front of him. He screeched and jumped up and down excitedly.

“WE’RE HERE!” He was about to make a break for it, but Levi quickly snatched his arm.

“Eren, no. We need to put our things away first. The faster we do that, the sooner we can go play,” Levi reasoned.

The energetic boy pouted, looking back at the castle, but reluctantly agreed with a nod and picked up the bag he dropped and held Levi’s hand. “Okay.”

The two marched forward and Carla, who was close by them from the beginning, sighed. “I’m so glad we have Levi with us to calm Eren down. The boy has the patience of a saint.”

Her husband chuckled in agreement. “Levi does seem to have a soothing effect on Eren.” Just like what they kids were doing, he held Carla’s hand. “Let’s go. We need to head to the resort before Eren manages to drag Levi off somewhere.”

“It’s going to be a long day,” she said. “We’re probably going to need to carry them both by the evening.”

Grisha gave her a reassuring squeeze and said, “Good thing I’ve been working out lately to prepare for this day then.” He grinned when she whacked his arm but leaned in closer.

A long day indeed.

* * *

“Now remember, if either of you gets lost, find the nearest park employee and they will take you to the Baby Center and we will find you there, okay?”

The two kids nodded and Eren pointed to the back of his shirt. “And you sewed your phone number in our shirts so they could call you to get us, right?”

“Yes,” Carla sighed in relief, grateful that Eren knew what to do if something happened. “It can be scary to be lost without us around, but as long as you remember what to do, you should be fine.”

“I won’t get lost if I have Levi with me,” Eren said, hugging the boy next to him. “We will keep each other safe. Right, Lee?”

Levi returned the hug with a shy smile. “I’ll do my best to keep my eye on him, Mrs. Yeager.”

The woman chuckled at his determined look and couldn’t resist pinching his cheek. “Thank you, Levi. I know I can always trust Eren in your hands.”

Grisha bit back a laugh when he saw Levi’s cheeks puffed up in embarrassment and Eren, who was trying to help with the situation (but wasn’t really), was kissing them down. Pulling Eren away from Levi and hoisting him up near his shoulder, he asked, “Shall we go?”

“Yeah!” Eren raised his fist in the air and roared in excitement.

Carla laughed and Levi couldn’t help but be excited as well. Eren’s cheerfulness was quite contagious after all and he couldn’t wait to spend the day with his beloved boyfriend.

* * *

“Levi.”

Levi looked away from the Mickey Mouse printed tea set and turned his head to see Eren hiding in the clothing carousel. “What are you doing?” he asked, walking up to him.

“Shh!” Seeing that the coast was clear, Eren dragged Levi in with him and pushed back the shirts so no one could see them.

The suspicious behavior put Levi on edge. “What’s going on?”

“I think I saw Mikki.”

A look of confusion crossed Levi’s face. “Mikasa? Are you sure?”

Eren bobbed his head. “Yeah! I saw her looking at those mouse hats.” Reaching behind Levi, Eren pushed a few shirts away and Levi glanced at the direction he was pointing at. “See?”

Levi’s eyes widened when he saw a girl who looked exactly the same as his cousin – same hair length, same skin tone, same facial expression, same everything – except that she looked much taller since the last time they saw her, like as tall as the big kids at school.

“She didn’t grow that tall, did she?” Eren asked, verbalizing Levi’s thoughts.

Levi chewed his lips. “I don’t know. Mikasa never said anything about flying to Disneyland so I don’t even know if it’s actually her or not.”

“I’m going to find out.” Eren stepped one foot out but Levi quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Eren, no. We have to stay with your parents,” Levi hissed.

“But Levi, I just want to make sure it’s-”

“Mikasa,” a deep voice interrupted them. “We’re going now.”

“Okay,” the Mikasa girl answered, trotting out of the gift store.

“That doesn’t sound like Uncle at all…” Levi nervously said.

Eren gasped. “We need to save her!” This time, Eren was the one who grabbed Levi’s arm and dragged him out of the clothing rack, following after where the girl went.

They passed through some people and whipped their heads around to see any traces of her anywhere. “Where did she go?” Levi asked.

Eren’s eyes darted around until he saw long, black locks. “There!” Without warning, Eren dashed off again with Levi in tow.

“Mikasa!” Eren grabbed her arm. “What are you doing-”

Levi caught up to him and poked his head behind Eren. “What’s going on?”

“I should be asking you the same thing.”

The unfamiliar voice startled him and Levi looked up to see… Eren?

“Eren?” Levi hesitantly asked. In front of him was an older and taller Eren with longer hair, glasses, and green and gold eyes.

“Yes?” The older-Eren answered. The girl beside Eren shifted and looked at them with a confused look on her face. She wasn’t the only person confused since she looked exactly like his cousin except this girl didn’t have the beauty mark under her eye like the Mikasa he knew and this girl had black eyes instead of brown.

Levi didn’t know what to make of this situation.

Nor did Eren.

“You’re not the Mikki I know,” he bluntly said.

The girl owlishly blinked at him and then looked at the older-Eren. “He looks like you if you were younger.” Even her voice sounded different from the Mikasa he knew so, therefore, it wasn’t his cousin (but she was still Mikasa since she had the same name).

Okay, that was one mystery down, but the brunet in front of him posed another one.

The older-Eren laughed and Levi felt his heart clench at the pretty sound. What the?

“He does, doesn’t he?” The older Eren bent down so they were all at eye-level and waved his hand at his mini-self. “Hi there, my name is Eren. What’s yours?”

Eren beamed. “My name is Eren too!”

Older-Eren raised his brows in surprise. “Really now. What a coincidence!” He smiled and Levi felt his heart beating rapidly again. What was going on?

Mismatched eyes were on him and Levi gulped at the intense stare down until the older-Eren squealed. “And what’s your name, cutie?”

Levi flushed. “My name is Levi,” he mumbled as he looked at the ground to avoid the gaze, missing the older-Eren’s surprised look.

“Levi…” Older-Eren also mumbled.

“Oi, Eren. Mikasa,” a voice chimed in. “Did something happen?” It was that voice from the shop!

Older-Eren stood up and turned to greet the other person. “I think we have a little situation here, Levi.”

Levi? What?

“What’s going on?” And in comes someone who looks like him, but older and meaner.

Levi took a step back but _his_ Eren gasped loudly beside him. “Levi!”

His older-self had the same bewildered look they all had earlier when he stared at Eren and then at him. “What the fu-”

Older-Eren quickly slapped his hand over older-Levi’s mouth. “Okay,” he said loudly. “I think we have to clear up some things so I’ll start. Hi there, my name is Eren, she/her pronouns for me please.”

Eren blinked. “You’re a girl?”

“Sometimes,” Older-Eren winked. “You can call me Ms. Eren if it makes this easier for all of us.” She let go of her hand from older-Levi’s mouth and nudged him forward. “And this here is my boyfriend, Levi. He looks scary but he’s one of the sweetest people I know.”

Older-Levi nodded and Levi returned the gesture.

“And I’m Mikasa,” the girl introduced herself and then pointed to older-Levi. “I’m his daughter and I’m 11 years old.”

Confirmed: definitely not his cousin.

“Hi! I’m Eren,” Eren started, “I’m five years old and this is _my_ boyfriend, Levi.”

Levi fumbled when Eren dragged him towards him and he blushed when Eren planted a kiss on his cheek in front of their look-alikes.

“Aww,” Ms. Eren cooed. “They’re adorable.”

“This is weird,” Mr. Levi (Levi was now going to refer to older-Levi as that) mentioned, still staring at him and Eren. It wasn’t menacing, though, just curious.

“How did you know my name anyway?” Mikasa asked.

“Oh! We thought you were Mikki – you look just like her. She’s Levi’s cousin and my friend and we’re in the same kindergarten class.”

“Definitely weird,” Mr. Levi mumbled, but Levi ignored it as he was distracted by the way Ms. Eren’s eyes glistened in amusement and her mouth curved up into a smile.

“The world is full of surprises, eh?” Ms. Eren bent down and was up close to Eren, giving him a look over. “You really do look like me when I was younger,” she whispered.

Levi blushed again when her eyes were on him but this time, she ruffled his hair. “And you look like the spitting image of Mr. Grumpy if he was a kid, only with fewer piercings.”

Mr. Levi rolled his eyes but Eren and Mikasa giggled.

Ms. Eren was still right up close to him and Levi blurted out this first thing on his mind, “You’re pretty.”

She blinked a few times before her eyes crinkled with mirth and she gave him a beautiful smile. “Thank you, Levi. I think you’re pretty as well.”

Levi flushed and he nervously fidgeted with his shirt.

Mr. Levi, however, scoffed. “Oi, brat. Flirt with your own Eren.”

Levi bristled at the comment and Ms. Eren put a hand out to each of them. “Alright, no fighting. Levi, you shouldn’t be pestering kids. You should know better,” she chastised.

The man crossed his arms, almost pouting in a way, and Ms. Eren sighed. “What am I going to do with you?” It was said so fondly and Levi watched intently as Ms. Eren kissed Mr. Levi to placate his grouchiness.

“That’s going to be us when we’re older,” Eren whispered excitedly next to him. Levi only nodded, giggling when he saw pink on Mr. Levi’s cheeks.

“They’re not married yet,” Mikasa piped in.

Eren looked indignant. “They should, though! Did they propose yet? Levi already gave me a ring so we can get married in the future, see?” He showed off his ring that Levi got for him for Christmas. Despite Eren being reckless at times, he was always careful with his most prized possessions.

Mikasa looked at the ring for a few moments with an interested look on her face, humming when Eren pulled away. “You have good taste,” she complimented.

“He’s the best!” Eren bragged, hugging Levi and nuzzling his nose with him.

“This is too cute for me. Someone help,” Ms. Eren said.

“Eren, we need to find their parents.” Mr. Levi stepped in and crouched down. “Do you know where they are?”

“Mom said to find a park employee and they would take us to the Baby Center and they will find us there.”

“To the Baby Center we go then.” Standing up, Mr. Levi pulled out the park map and looked over it. “Let’s see… we’re over here which means the center is right over there so we need to pass through these rides…”

Done with the map, Mr. Levi folded it with such precision that Levi was in awe and nudged his head to the side. “This way.” He wrapped one arm around Ms. Eren’s waist and led them back to the gift shop area.

The kids followed along closely, making conversation on their way there. Eren and Mikasa talked about school and their favorite things (sports, colors, subject at school, TV show, and so on). Levi was only half-listening, only answering when asked, but he mostly paid attention to the adults in front of them.

He watched the way Ms. Eren would whisper something to Mr. Levi and how the man would smile and say something back which would make her laugh. Mr. Levi had a protective hold on her, pinching her waist whenever she teased him and would lean his head on her shoulder after he kissed her neck.

It was… really nice to see. There was that weird feeling in his chest again but he figured out what it was — envy. Armin once told him it was a feeling similar to jealousy, but it wasn't the fear of losing something like when he and Eren had the fight, no. His heart would clench at the sight of them but at the same time, it gave him hope that he and Eren would just be like them when they were older – happy and in love.

When they finally made it to the Baby Center, Mr. Levi turned to them. “I think it would be best if you two go in by yourselves. I wouldn’t want the park employees to think that we’re ditching our children or something,” he chuckled.

“But we want to stay with you,” Eren grumbled.

Ms. Eren smiled. “And we would love to hang out with you more as well, but I think your parents would be worried. You don’t want them to get sad, do you?”

Eren pouted. “No…”

“Maybe we’ll see each other again,” Mikasa offered. “The world is big but you found us, didn’t you?”

That lifted up Eren’s spirits. “Yeah. You’re right, Mikasa. Thank you!” He hugged Mikasa and then hugged his look-alike. “Thank you, Ms. Eren!” And then finally to Mr. Levi. “And thank you for taking us here, Mr. Grumpy!”

Ms. Eren laughed and Mr. Levi looked vexed by the comment. Levi shook his head and hugged Mikasa as well, willing down his blush when Ms. Eren gave him a peck on his cheek. To his surprise, Mr. Levi gave him a hug as well, but he also said, “Take care of him, alright? If he’s anything like my Eren, he’s going to make you happy like you do to him.”

Pulling away, Levi grinned. “You’re pretty cool, Mr. Levi.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, kid.”

Levi took Eren’s hand and they walked up to the table and told the park employees their situation and had Mr. and Mrs. Yeager called in.

Mrs. Yeager was the first person to see them and she dashed her way through. Her voice was frantic when she scolded them, hugging them tightly and the kids felt guilty for making the woman worry.

“We’re sorry,” they sincerely apologized.

Carla only sighed and Grisha held them. “As long as you’re safe. But no more sneaking off, you hear me?”

Both boys nodded and they held their hands when they left the center.

Levi and Eren turned their heads back and waved to the family who was hidden away but still watching over them. The family waved back with smiles on their faces before they walked away into the crowd until the boys couldn’t see them anymore.

“Who are you waving at?” Grisha asked.

The boys looked at each other and giggled.

“Just some friends that we know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this idea for months and I think now is finally the perfect time to write this. xDD 
> 
> Also, I'm going on vacation and won't be back until September. I shall still continue to write, but if you follow me on Tumblr, I won't be able to notify you of a new chapter being posted. And I also can't guarantee if I will continue posting on AO3 while I'm gone (so far, China hasn't banned AO3 yet and let's keep it that way).
> 
> But just in case I go MIA, I hope you honeybuns have a wonderful summer and good luck to those who have to start school again! :D


	11. Catnap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep well, kitties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter goes to candied-cravat on Tumblr! :) She asked for the smol ones to have fun at the fair and I decided to go with a carnival for extra fun. :P Hope you enjoy it honeybun~
> 
> ALSO! The amazing and wonderful [someonesotherhalf](http://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesotherhalf) volunteered to beta this fic and I'm slowly editing the previous chapters. So if you're re-reading this and noticed any changes, it's because of their wonderful work! ^O^

It should have been a given that Eren would be literally jumping in his car seat when brightly-colored tents and pennant banners decorating the area came into view. When his maman said that she had a surprise for him and Eren, he didn’t expect her to drive across the city where there was a carnival was going on, but he was glad she did because Eren was radiating happiness as they got closer and closer to the carnival grounds. The past few days they were stuck indoors because of the rain which made Eren a bit more restless and easily bored than usual.

And as much Levi loved Eren, there were only so many times he would indulge the other boy in impromptu wrestling matches before his knees gave out. He was certain that he was now a professional when it came to first-aid.

Just as the car came to a complete stop to park, Eren already took out his seatbelt and was off of his booster seat and trying to unlock the door. Kuchel laughed at his antics and unlocked it for him while Levi, compared to Eren, calmly got out of the car and trailed after his overexcited boyfriend who was jogging towards the entrance.

“Levi, hurry!”

Looking behind, his maman gave him a nod and he held her hand as they caught up to Eren who greeted them with a grin so wide, Levi’s facial muscles hurt looking at it. While his maman excused herself to get in line to get tickets for them, he pulled Eren into a hug.

Eren cocked his head to the side. “Lee?”

“Hm?”

“What are you doing?”

Levi held him tighter. “Hugging you.”

“Why?”

“To make sure you don’t run away.”

Eren puffed his cheeks in mock irritation and stuck his tongue out at him, but then laughed before hugging Levi back with equal fervor. They didn’t care as people pass by them and some even cooed at how adorable they were, pressed against each other and cuddling as they waited for Levi’s maman to come back.

And that was how Kuchel found them minutes later, and she secretly took a picture on her phone before sending it to Carla. When she received multiple heart emojis in reply, she called out to them, “Boys, I got your tickets.”

Eren squealed in Levi’s ear before letting go, grabbing his hand, and practically dragging the shorter boy with him to the entrance of the carnival.

They were immediately greeted by a large bunny who handed them each a balloon, yellow for Eren and green for Levi. Kuchel helped tied the balloons around their wrists so they won’t lose it before they headed off to the different booths and rides.

Considering they weren’t tall enough for the ‘big kids’ rides (which Eren no doubt pouted about), they went to an area with rides that were for kids their size.

Levi smiled when Eren whipped his head around excitedly and saw that his poor boyfriend was having trouble deciding on which ride to go on first.

“How about we take turns picking?” he suggested.

“That’s a good idea,” his maman agreed. “Do you want to pick first, mon petit chou?”

Levi looked at his surroundings and picked a simple railway ride that had a simple track in a loop with some ups and downs. “Let’s go there first, then we can go on the bigger rides after.”

Eren gleefully clapped at his choice. “Yes! Let’s go!”

Kuchel giggled as she passed the right amount of tickets for them to go by themselves. Levi inwardly sighed in relief when he measured himself and saw that he was taller than the minimum height requirement and obviously Eren had no issues with it whatsoever. He swore that one day, he would be taller than Eren and return all those forehead kisses Eren liked to give him.

Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait that long and was on the train ride rather quickly. Eren squealed whenever they went up and down, and Levi would wave every time he saw his maman who was standing along with the other parents behind the fence.

Eren picked the next ride and decided to go on the carousel. He sat on top of a pretty white unicorn and Levi was beside him on a brilliant black steed. Kuchel was in front of them in a carriage, but she turned back and recorded them with her phone as the ride spun around and Eren was doing his best to balance on his unicorn and trying to reach for Levi’s hand. Levi flushed when their fingers intertwined and his maman called for them to look her way so she could take a picture.

Kuchel grinned when she saw the picture she took. She was definitely going to print it and put it in Levi’s album and make a copy for Carla of course.

“Let’s go on the strawberry next!” Eren exclaimed after they got off.

Levi visibly grimaced at the thought of being spun around at a fast speed but then thought he would rather do it now then later when they had something to eat and food in their stomachs. Nodding in agreement, he was dragged into the large fruit and was at the mercy of Eren who was determined to spin their strawberry as fast as he could.

“Levi, help me spin the strawberry!” he shouted over the screams of the other kids who were doing the same thing.

Levi already felt light-headed but did as he was asked anyway, grabbing on the steering wheel in the center and spinning it as fast as he could. Eren squealed in delight and Levi pointedly made sure to look down so he wouldn’t get dizzier.

When the ride finally ended, Levi wobbled out of the exit and latched on to his maman’s waist.

Alarmed, Kuchel bent down while Eren fretted around his boyfriend and patted his back. “Levi? Are you alright?” She received a head shake in response and she asked again, “Dizzy?” this time, a nod and she lifted him up. “Let’s find somewhere to sit and get some food and drinks for your tummy.”

Levi didn’t protest and held onto his maman and rested his head on her shoulder. He saw from the corner of his eye that Eren was walking calmly alongside them, looking at him every once in a while to see if he was okay. He would give a reassuring smile to him, but Eren looked away with a frown on his face.

They finally found an open bench and Kuchel sat Levi on it while she went to get some food for them. Eren plopped right beside him and grabbed his face with his hands and was met with worried green eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For picking the strawberry.” Eren leaned closer so that their foreheads were touching. “And for making you spin a lot.”

Levi gave a peck on Eren’s lips. “It’s okay. Did it make you happy?”

“Yes, but now you’re sick! You’re very shellfish, Levi.”

“I think you meant ‘selfless,’ Eren,” Kuchel said as she placed a tray of food on the table. She crouched down and patted Levi’s back. “Are you feeling a bit better now? Do you want something to eat?” At his nod, she gave him a burger and kept a careful eye to see in case he was feeling sick again. But he seemed to be feeling fine again, especially when Eren started feeding him fries and he would return the favor by cleaning Eren’s face.

“You pick the next rides, Levi,” Eren demanded. He still felt guilty for making his beloved Levi dizzy.

Looking around, he decided to pick some of the safer rides like the swings and the mirror house until he felt completely better. They even managed to play a few of the carnival games and Levi won a long, plush snake for Eren.

His maman kept hold of it while Eren embraced him in a tackle hug.

The skies were beginning to darken and the kids managed to go on the drop ride and played bumper cars before night fell.

“I think we have time for one more ride before we have to leave,” Kuchel announced.

Eren groaned but stopped when Levi held his hand.

“You can pick the last one.”

Eren cheered up at the prospect of picking their last ride and squeezed Levi’s hand to show how grateful he was. They walked alongside each other and Eren looked around which ride he wanted to go on, but there was one particular booth that caught his eye and he stopped in his tracks, making Levi jerk back as well. “Eren?”

“Hey, let’s go get our face painted before it closes.”

Levi wrinkled his nose, not really liking the idea of having paint on his skin, but Eren’s pleading eyes made him nod (he could never say no to those puppy eyes) and followed him to the stall with his maman right behind him.

As they got closer, they were surprised to see a familiar face manning the booth.

“Hange?” Eren gasped.

Said person looked up from the kid they were working on and smiled when they recognized who they were. “Eren! Levi! It’s good to see you two again! Give me a sec, gotta finish this sweetie here.” They flicked their wrist in fluid motions and pulled back with a smile. “There.”

The girl looked at the mirror and thanked Hange, turning around to let Eren and Levi see the purple butterfly mask she had on her face before leaving.

“Pretty!” Eren complimented.

“Thank you,” Hange laughed. “What would you two boys like?”

“I want to be a tiger.” Eren made a ‘roar’ sound and Hange smiled at the endearing action.

“That sounds perfect for you. And how about you, Levi?”

Levi frowned. “I don’t know… Maybe a panther?”

“A tiger and a panther, huh?” Hange smirked. “Good choices. Sit right here and we’ll get started.”

Eren was quick to sit down and Hange brushed his bangs away and pushed them aside with bobby pins. Levi watched quietly beside him, smiling whenever Eren made comments about the brush tickling him and slowly watched Eren’s pretty face turn into a tiger. Chubby cheeks were now orange with black stripes and Eren’s bright green eyes made him look wild.

“How do I look?”

Levi reached forward to take the pins out of his hair and ruffled it to make it go back to its normal, fluffy state. “You look really cool.”

Eren beamed at the compliment and pushed Levi’s chair closer to Hange. “Make Levi look just as cool as me.”

“Aye aye,” they mocked saluted. Just like with Eren, Hange pinned his bangs with bobby pins and he instinctively closed his eyes as they started dabbing carefully around his eyes. The feeling of being painted on wasn’t as bad as he initially thought it would be. He recalled all the times in Ms. Ral’s class where he would avoid Connie’s hands during art time and the light brushes right now weren’t anything like he experienced before.

“Stick out your lips a little more,” Hange instructed. Levi did as he was told and he heard giggling from Eren and his maman.

A few more quick strokes and Hange hummed in satisfaction. “Fierce.”

Levi didn’t know what that meant, but he finally opened his eyes and was taken aback by his own reflection. His face was a blend of dark grays and whites and his lips were black with little fangs on the sides, making him look just as wild as Eren. Hange did a great job painting.

Eren came into his view and grinned. “You look so cool! The coolest kitty!”

Levi flushed, grateful that the paint hid his blushing cheeks. “I'm not a kitty. I’m a panther,” he mumbled.

“You look amazing, Levi,” his maman complimented.

“Thank you, maman. And thank you, Hange.”

“No problem, Levi. Hope you enjoy the rest of the carnival with Eren.” They returned the hug Eren gave to them as thanks and waved at their retreating forms with a wistful smile on their face. “See you again.”

* * *

The last ride Eren finally decided on was the classic Ferris wheel. It wasn’t particularly large, but it was tall enough to oversee the carnival area. Kuchel sat on one side while Eren and Levi sat on the other. Eren would lean over and pointed out to all the rides they were on and anything that interested him. Levi would hum at every remark, content with just listening to Eren talk.

As they slowly reached the top, Kuchel looked away from the view below when she noticed how unusually quiet the boys were. The scene in front of her made her chuckle. Her son and his boyfriend cuddled up to next to each other, Eren’s head was on Levi’s shoulder and the two were holding hands with the balloons that were still fastened on their wrists.

Silently, she took the last photo of the day and captioned the picture of the sleeping boys with, _‘Time for a catnap for the kitties,’_ before sending it to Carla.

She wasn’t surprised when her text screen was filled with heart emojis a second later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you noticed the chapter count then yes, the next chapter will be the last chapter. o3o
> 
> And I just noticed that this fic passed 500 kudos!!! QAQ Thank you so so much for the support and loving these tiny nerds. ♥♥♥


	12. Memories for the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The future glows brightly for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today marks the one-year anniversary of Smol Adventure's first post on Tumblr and what could be more fitting than having the last chapter to celebrate? ^^

“That’s the last of them,” Levi said as he placed down three boxes onto a counter.

The sound of a body unceremoniously thrown onto the floor followed by a groan made him smirk. He took several strides across the kitchen floor to be greeted by the sight of his boyfriend lying face first on the living room carpet, surrounded by multiple boxes that were stacked, labeled, and sealed. “Eren, get up. We still need to vacuum that thing.”

Eren rolled over and groaned again, throwing an arm over his eyes. “If we can find the damn vacuum first.” Green eyes peered over his arm and glared at the smirking man. “We’ve been going at it for hours, can’t we take a break?”

Levi’s amusement never left his face as he crouched down next to him. “Sorry, I didn’t realize we were having sex. Good thing the neighbors didn’t hear us with all that moving.”

He laughed when he received a playful swat to his thigh. Brushing away Eren’s bangs, he said, “Thanks for the hard work. How about we order some pizza and put away some things until it’s here?”

“Pineapple?”

Levi rolled his eyes at Eren’s eager face and pulled out his phone to start the order. “Half,” he conceded, “You’re the only one who actually likes pineapple on their pizza, you weirdo.”

Eren mocked gasped and put a hand on his chest where his heart was. “How dare you question my exquisite tastes, you peasant.”

“Yet this peasant will not ruin the sanctity that is pizza by putting pineapple on it,” Levi rebutted. Sending off the order through the app, he put away his phone before climbing over Eren to pin him down. Leaning over, he smiled when Eren instinctively twitched when their noses touched. “We have some time until pizza gets here so let’s start unpacking if we want to get through half of this shit by the end of the night.”

“Mikasa and Armin are coming by to help us with the furniture, right?”

“Yeah. ‘Kasa texted saying that she’ll be here in about a few hours and Armin is coming right after his lecture.”

Eren hummed and nuzzled his nose with Levi’s briefly before planting a soft kiss on his lips. “As much as I love having you on top of me like this, we both need to get up to do any unpacking today.”

Levi reluctantly agreed as he got up from his position (but not before returning Eren’s kiss with one of his own) and they started sorting out which boxes would go in what room. Though this wasn’t the first time they moved in together since they both lived in the same apartment when they attended college, this was going to be their first day in their first house, which meant figuring out what to do with all the extra space.

(Eren already started making plans on what to do with the backyard which included a patio space, a garden, and a hot tub of all things.)

He was in the middle of arranging the dishes in the cupboards until Eren called for him from upstairs, asking him to bring some boxes to him. With a huff, he found the boxes with ‘BEDROOM - Eren’ written on the sides and made his way to where Eren was.

“Here.” He placed the boxes down on the floor and took a deep breath, slightly winded from going up the stairs while carrying the heavy pile.

Receiving no answer, he looked around the room to see Eren next to the window, hunched over and flipping through a book. “What do you have over there?” he asked as he approached him.

Eren grinned and showed him the page he was on, making Levi let out an ungraceful snort when he realized what it was. It was an album filled to the brim of pictures when they were in kindergarten, courtesy of the dual efforts of Eren’s mom and Levi’s maman.

“I can’t believe you packed this,” Levi said.

“How could I not? It was the first time we met after all.” Eren’s hand lingered on a page and he pointed at the class picture. “Look how cute you were back then. I can’t believe that the infamous Levi used to be scared of the dark.”

“Shut up.”

Eren bumped his hips with Levi’s. “Hey, I saved your ass with my awesome shoes.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Right. How could I forget the day I was saved by a fearless knight who freaked out when he saw the juice stain on my shirt, thinking that it was blood.”

“You have no imagination,” Eren pouted, “Besides, who was the one who said my eyes were pretty?”

“Who was the one who kissed first?” Levi challenged.

A quick kiss on the lips and Eren grinned. “I did. Managed to get a boyfriend out it, though.” He passed the album to Levi so that he could look over it while he went over to the boxes Levi brought up for him. The first box he opened made him grin and he pulled out a very familiar plush toy. “Captain!”

The sudden outburst made Levi look up. “Captain?”

Eren lifted the bear up for Levi to see before holding it close to his chest. “Yes, Captain. I guess Mom packed him for me so I wouldn’t forget. Don’t you remember him? You brought me to a bear workshop for Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh, right. I remember that I was trying to make it up to you because we had a fight.”

“You would always bring your teddy over – Mr. Cuddles, was it? – to my house and we would have tea parties and play house with them,” Eren teased. He laughed when Levi looked away with a scowl, but he saw that his face was flushed with a healthy shade of pink.

Putting his teddy bear to the side, he dug through the box to see what else his mom helped pack for him and pulled out a tiny container with a bow on it. He frowned; he didn’t remember ever having such a thing. Curious, he took off the lid and gasped. “So that’s where it went.”

“What is it this time?”

Eren got up and walked over to where Levi was, showing him the inside of the box. “Do you remember this?” It was said in a whisper, full of emotion that Levi couldn’t describe.

When he looked inside, he finally understood. “The ring… I thought it went missing.”

“I did too.” Eren carefully picked out the ring that was in pieces – the band was stretched out, the wings were detached, and the rhinestone was left on its own. “I remember crying for _days_ when I couldn’t find it in middle school.”

“Maybe it fell behind your bed or something?” Levi offered. “Carla probably found it when she was clearing out your old room and packed it for you as a surprise.”

“I guess.” He put the pieces back in the container and frowned. “Sucks that it broke, though.”

The doorbell rang and Levi placed the album on the windowsill before heading out of the room. “Pizza’s here. Let’s go eat your gross pineapples before doing any more work.”

“Pineapple isn’t gross,” he protested before following his boyfriend down the stairs, deliberately pinching Levi’s butt in retaliation for the comment while he was trying to tip the delivery boy, and grabbed the pizza before Levi got the chance to and ran off to the kitchen.

Levi found him sitting on the kitchen counter, eating his third slice of non-pineapple pizza, and threw him a lazy grin.

Levi eyed the opened pizza box with clear disgust. “I hate you.”

Eren’s grin only grew wider.

* * *

“Thanks again for coming over to help. We really appreciate it.”

“It was no problem, Eren. Glad that we were able to get all the furniture assembled today,” Armin said. “Let us know if you need any more help.”

“Thanks for the offer. I think we have just have to unpack our stuff now, but we’ll let you know,” Levi said. “Good luck with getting your Master’s, Armin. And congratulations, cuz, on that internship.”

Mikasa smiled as thanks before turning to Eren. “Good luck, Eren. Give us a call to tell us how it went,” she said with a wink, laughing softly when Eren blushed.

Levi raised a brow at her wording but she and Armin left before he could question it. He shrugged. She must’ve slipped in a sex toy in their room or something on Eren’s request. It wouldn’t be the first time she did it.

He and Eren went up the stairs and they both flopped on to their newly-built and -made bed with content sighs. They didn’t even bother with the lights since their ceiling and walls were decorated with glow-in-the-dark star stickers, courtesy of Eren.

(When questioned why, Eren’s only reason was: “Because I’m an adult,” and Levi couldn’t refute that argument. Plus, they were nice to look at.)

Levi felt Eren’s head pressed against his side and he absentmindedly started petting the brown locks, much like when they were kids and he would help break the knots in Eren’s hair. He felt more than heard Eren hum beside him which made him smile. “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“I realized something.”

“Hm?”

Levi continued brushing Eren’s hair as he looked up at the starry ceiling. “I’m not as scared of the dark when you’re around.”

Eren snorted and lifted his head. Even though the room was dark, he was still able to manage to see a smile on Levi’s face. He sat up and leaned forward to kiss the space between Levi’s brows. “I stand corrected, you’re still as cute as you were 18 years ago.”

“Good to know.” Levi wrapped his arms around Eren’s body and relished the natural warmth he emitted. He loved holding onto Eren during the winter months. “Hey, get up for a second. I got something for you.”

“Really? What is it?”

Levi grinned at the enthusiastic voice and rolled off the bed to go to the closet. He took out a slim box and passed it to him. “Here. For old times’ sake.”

Eren eagerly accepted the gift and shrieked when he saw what was inside. “No fucking way.” He pulled out a pair of shoes and flicked on the switches that were on the bottom, making them glow bright red with the LED lights along the midsoles before they switched to orange and then yellow.

“You can also change the timer setting and the colors in case you want green, blue, and purple as well.”

Eren promptly put them on his feet, lacing up the glow-in-the-dark shoelaces that Levi also paired the shoes with, and jumped in them, taking a few steps around the room. (Levi couldn’t even scold him for wearing shoes in the house since they were brand new.) He admired the way it illuminated the floor underneath him and practically tackled Levi onto the bed, barraging him with many kisses his mouth could reach. “Thank you, Levi! I love them.”

“You’re welcome, Eren,” the older male grunted underneath, “But take off those shoes before getting on the bed.”

Eren laughed but did as he was told, turning off the switch to preserve the battery life before storing them away. He curled up right next to Levi who was resting his back against the headboard. “Hey,” he said, breaking the silence, “Want to know something interesting Armin told me earlier today?”

“What is it?”

Eren couldn’t hide the amusement in his voice, “Apparently Hange is one of his professors this semester.” He laughed when Levi abruptly sat up straight.

“I fucking knew they were stalking us,” he hissed.

Eren gently patted him back onto the bed but his voice was still laced with mirth, “Well, we haven’t seen them since high school when they were teaching chemistry, and we’re done with college so it’s Armin’s problem now.”

Levi huffed but allowed Eren to pull him down and use him as a teddy bear, wrapping his arms protectively around Eren’s back.

“Hey, Levi?”

“Hm?”

“Do you…” A pause. “Do you have weird dreams from time to time?”

“What kind of weird dreams, Eren?”

“Ones from a long time ago, like back during the Titan War times.”

Levi shifted his position to look at Eren’s face. “Why do you ask?”

“I started getting them here and there after meeting Hange.” Eren nibbled his lips, as though he was contemplating on whether or not to say anymore, but did so anyway, “But the dreams felt too real, as though they were actually memories and flashbacks. Mikasa and Armin were in them, and you were in them too.”

The room was dead silent but Eren heard his heart beat loudly against his chest. He inwardly panicked, thinking that everything he said was gibberish to Levi and that he would look at him differently, but a soft sigh escaped Levi’s lips.

“I get them too,” he said softly. “We were together back then as well.”

Eren’s shoulder sagged in relief. “Does this mean that we were destined together?”

“Maybe. It could explain why I put up so much for you.”

Eren lightly bit Levi’s nose. “Meanie.”

Levi moved his face so that his lips brushed together with Eren’s. “It doesn’t matter, Eren. We’re here right now and that’s enough for me.”

He didn’t realize he was crying until Levi silently wiped away the tears that streaked down his face. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve before giving Levi a soft smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Levi said before capturing Eren’s lips for a loving kiss, and Eren returning the affection with equal fervor.

“There’s also something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Eren said when they pulled away.

“If it’s about the new sex toy, then I’m down for it.”

“I-what?” Eren sputtered before he switched to loud laughter. “Oh my god. No, that wasn’t what I was going ask you. I was wondering if you want to marry me, silly.”

“Of course I want to,” was his instant reply. When the words finally caught up to him, he bolted right up. “Wait, what did you just ask me?”

Eren still had hints of laughter in his smile as he turned on the lamp on the bedside and reached under the pillows to pull out a small box and opened it. Levi’s eyes widened when he saw a simple silver band nestled in between velvet cushions and gaped at Eren’s sheepish grin.

“You gave me the first ring when we were kids, and I’m hoping that now I’ll be the one to give you the last. Levi, will you marry me?”

Levi’s hands shook as he cradled his hands over Eren’s, but his eyes held certainty when he looked into amused green ones. “Yes. Yes, I will, Eren.”

Over the years, his love for Eren only grew but he swore that he was in love all over again when Eren slid the ring on his finger and kissed him with a smile on his lips and the promise of a future together unsaid.

They probably could have spent the rest of the night just kissing the other senseless, but then Eren mounted on top of Levi and rolled his hips against his now-fiancé and purred in pleasure. “Before we go to sleep, we still need to christen the bed in our new house,” he said with a wicked grin.

Levi smirked as he turned off the lamp. He pulled Eren under the covers, nipping the tanned neck as he did so. “Yeah, we definitely do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *changes the rating LOL*
> 
> Thank you all for reading and supporting these adorable babs' adventures! ♥ It was a lot of fun writing them and I can't thank you enough for the kudos and comments that helped motivate me to write more. :)
> 
> Also! If you check back, all the chapters are now edited and there are now some new fanart added too! :D Thank you again [someonesotherhalf](http://archiveofourown.org/users/someonesotherhalf) for being an awesome beta!
> 
> See you in the next fic! ヾ༼ ✿ ๑･ ‿ ･๑ ༽ ﾉ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ


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